Exciting news, readers: we’ve been nominated as one of Maryland’s Most Outstanding Blogs in the Baltimore Sun’s first-ever Mobbie Awards. We’re excited to be nominated (can we get a woot!?) and honored to be among some great company.

The Mobbies are a reader’s-choice award contest,  so we need your help! If you’re a fan of the MGH WOM blog, we’d appreciate it if you showed your support by voting for us here (we’re listed under the business & technology category):

…And by sharing this with your friends: http://data.baltimoresun.com/mobbies/?vote_for=64#64.

Voting is open today through October 9, and readers are allowed to vote once a day in each category.

While we were nominated in the business & technology category, the Mobbies cover a wide variety of topics so, if you’re looking to add a dose of fresh content to your Google reader, we encourage you to check out the full list of nominees.

As always, thank you for your readership and support. You’re the best!

Sure, we talk a lot about what’s happening in the world of social media and how that impacts word of mouth. But there’s a lot that you do to produce positive buzz through offline activity as well.

I was inspired to write this short entry after reading an article on the Consumerist entitled “Free Ice Cream Doesn’t Heal Broken Leg, But It Helps.” The article recounts the story of  Michael from Maryland who broke his leg while rushing to cash in on a “free scoop of ice cream” promotion that Bruster’s Real Ice Cream was running. After contacting the company and explaining his situation, a Bruster’s delivery truck drove to his house and dropped off four pints of free ice cream…just because.

In his letter to the Consumerist, Michael closes by saying, “Bruster’s, in this one motion, has earned my brand loyalty forever. I tell my story to everyone who comes to visit.”

A free ice cream coupon certainly would have been enough to keep Michael happy with his Bruster’s relationship. But the company took it a step further. It went above and beyond to produce a story that was ripe for sharing - not only among family/friends, but through mass media.

I’ve lived in Maryland my whole life and have never heard of Bruster’s. But you better believe I’ll keep my eyes peeled for them after reading this heart-warming story.

Think about what you can do to make every customer experience one worth sharing. What are people going to remember? What brand experiences are they going to share with family and friends? And, most importantly, what can you do to make a mark on someone’s life?

It doesn’t take a lot - just remember that even the simplest of experiences (either positive or negative) can have huge implications for your business.

- Ryan, @ryanatmgh

MGH is looking for an  intern to support our Word of Mouth/Social Media Marketing team during the Fall semester.

Qualified applicants:

• Live, breathe, eat, and sleep the Internet.
• Will have a solid understanding of social media tools  (social networks, blogs, message boards, review sites, video/photo sharing sites).
• Will have a basic understanding about how brands are utilizing various web marketing strategies and tactics.
• Will be able to tackle heavy research assignments and should be able to analyze collected data.

We work hard and play very hard here at MGH’s Word of Mouth division. We’re looking for someone who can have a good time while getting his/her work done right the first time.

If you think this might be you (or know someone who might be interested), email Ryan Goff at rgoff@mghus.com or tweet him at @ryanatmgh

We write a lot about Twitter. Some may say we write TOO much about it.

We fully admit that we’re obsessed with the site, and for good reason - we’ve had a lot of client successes through Twitter and continue to capitalize on its growth. We also want you to be using it because, well, the more people that use it, the better off we’re going to be.

With that being said, here’s another Tw-entry about Twitter usage:

Last week, we commented on the recent New York Times article that claimed teens aren’t tweeting.

The NYT might start singing a different tune after a report that was released by comScore today, which claims that teens ARE indeed using the site, and, in fact, represent its fastest growing segment (12-17 and 18-24 year old demographics).

comScore writes:
“As the Twitter audience has mushroomed in recent months – to 21 million U.S. visitors in July 2009 (note: this number represents visitors to the Twitter.com website and does not include API or mobile Twitter usage) – the younger age groups are the ones flooding in the fastest.  The share of visitors to Twitter under the age of 35 is increasing at a breakneck pace. The most notable positive shifts are evident among the 12-17 and 18-24 year old segments, which are coming at the expense of the 35+ segments.”

The NYT article criticism of Twitter nothing new. As social media marketers, it’s something we hear and see every day - people or organizations questioning social media numbers. They say that teens aren’t using Twitter; Twitter’s users are not tweeting; Facebook users are quitting and the site is in trouble.  Blah blah blah.

The simple fact of the matter is that things have changed. Teens are on Twitter. Mom and dad are on Twitter. Grandma is on Twitter. You’re probably on Twitter. It’s not going anywhere any time soon.

Twitter and Facebook are flourishing right now. Will it always be that way? Who knows. But what I do know is that if you’re ignoring these tools and spending all your time criticizing them, you’re missing out on something great.

Now go say, “whassup” to all your new teen Twitter friends.

- Ryan, @ryanatmgh