#mcon14

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Justin Herman manages Federal-wide Social Media programs for the General Services Administration Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies, where he leads the Federal SocialGov Community of more than 600 digital engagement managers at over 140 federal agencies. 

Catch his inspiring talk at MCON 2014 last June. 

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We sat down with libawr from Tumblr this year to talk Tumblr, social media and MCON Ideas.

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Great pic of Achieve team after #MCON14

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Cheers! Here's to a great MCON14. See you all next year!!!

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Caption contest! It's Harry's (fiveoclockmagazine) CEO & co-founder Jeff Raider and his interviewer npr's Elise Hu. Submit your captions here; winner gets a Harry's set. Thanks y'all!

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More Social Q&A with Jeff from Harry's

Q: Why did social good and the "one for one" concept become part of your business' DNA?

A: It started with us early at WP, my co-founder Neil had given glasses to people in the developing world before starting the company and had amazing stories about the impact that seeing well could have on people's lives. We all got inspired, and thus wanted to be able to give glasses to people and to let our customers get involved too!

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More social Q&A from Panera

Q: Are all contributions cash? And if so, is there a missed opportunity for more money with debit/credit cards?

A: We accept cash, credit cards, debit cards and gift cards at Panera Cares. A large number of consumers contribute by credit card at our regular stores so we knew that it would be a missed opportunity to not accept that payment method. The one difference between cash and cards is that we don't know what is put in the donation bin; if you contribute with a card, you have to tell the cashier how much you want to be charged so there certainly is a bit more psychological pressure but our cashiers are trained to treat customers with dignity and be discrete either way.

Q: What community engagement surrounded opening the stores?

A: Our approach definitely evolved and became more extensive with each subsequent opening. With our last opening in Boston, we spent months meeting with anyone and everyone who would listen to us...local government officials (the Mayor's office is right across the street from our store), nearby businesses, neighborhood associations, parents' associations, other non-profits, soup kitchens, pantries, etc. We call these community cafes of shared responsibility, so engaging our communities in this work is essential.

Q: How do you make your bread so good?

A: Magic! Actually, we have one of the largest networks of bakers who bake bread fresh every day in our bakery cafes. We produce all of the dough ourselves at our Fresh Dough Facilities and then transport the dough directly to our bakery cafes, so the dough is never frozen. And we care about the ingredients that go into that dough (only unbleached, unbromated flour, for example).

Q: How do you ensure that you place stores in areas that need them most?

A: We're very careful about where we open Panera Cares. We look for economically diverse neighborhoods that have a mix of all different people...those in need, those who can contribute. We really need people of all demographics to keep these cafes open and to ensure that we're delivering on our higher purpose of feeding those in need. We also look for locations that are easily accessible by public transit, as well as places that are community-oriented.

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More Q&A with Azita and Todd

Q: Can you comment on the role of positive messaging in environmental movements vs "the sky is falling" version of a call to action for the environment? Is one better than the other?

Azita: This goes back to a fear mentality vs one that is additive in value. People are stressed out as it is, they don't need added pressure to engage. What they need is engagement that is contextual to their life so they can see exactly how and why this issue would affect them. By making the user the star we take complex and saturated issues (like the environmental one) they can see first hand how this does actually affect and need their participation to change.

Q: Do you see mgmt companies becoming obsolete? How will you stay relevant?

Todd: no actually i see management companies becoming more important. As artists take on more responsibility themselves the manager will play a more important role in wrangling the resources necessary and coordinating the different aspects of the artists career.