And you thought it was never going to happen!

It’s what we’ve all been preparing for and waiting on….and preparing for…. and waiting on and then the announcement of AOC2 was made. But as I promised, the Bum Rush must go on!

The book has finally made it into Amazon’s system and everything is in order for today’s announcement of the Age of Conversation Social Media Bum Rush, which will happen on March 29th.

So what exactly am I proposing?

I’m calling for a bum rush of all the social media you can get your hands on, ultimately directing people to Amazon to buy the book. Despite all of the past delays, I think now is the perfect time to launch this endeavor.  With the buzz about Age of Conversation 1 slowly dying down, and plans for Age of Conversation 2 in the works, this is the perfect opportunity to breathe new life into the old Age of Conversation project. If we do it right we might even be able to transfer some of the momentum of the AOC 1 into AOC2.

Plan of Action (for March 29th)

With the infinite amount of social sites and connections on the web, this is a huge undertaking. That is why I came up with this plan of action list with the highest priority items at the top. The idea is to generate as many touch points around the web as possible so that it will be hard not to spot the Age of Conversation activity.

1. Buy the Book & send others to buy the book. This is the number 1 call to action, because this is where we want to see the most impact. NOTE: Please buy 1 copy at a time because Amazon counts bulk orders once, and please use this affiliate link, which will help us in tracking sales. Remember, all the proceeds from the book sales and referrals will go to charity.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1847992994?ie=UTF8&tag= drewmclellan-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325& creativeASIN=1847992994
2. Blog About It - Make sure you have a prominent link to the Amazon listing so that readers can easily purchase the book. (Remember to use the affiliate link above. All of these earnings will go to charity as well.)
   
3. Twitter Commentary - Join Drew and I as we give a Bum Rush play-by-play on Twitter. (Follow us: @Freshpeel, @DrewMcLellan, @Servantofchaos) We also ask that everyone saying anything about the Bum Rush to use the code #AOC so that it can be picked up by Twemes.com
   
4. Trackback or Comment on the post that I will leave here on March 29th at 12am CST, so that everyone can follow the conversation and help promote exposure on social sites (Digg, StumbleUpon, Del.icio.us, etc.) 
   
5. Digg the posts listed here & send emails and shouts to friends requesting Diggs.
   
6. Stumble the posts listed & tell friends to do the same. 
   
7. Bookmark your posts on Del.icio.us
   
8. Add your post to other social media outlets ( Technorati, Ma.gnolia, Furl, BlinkList, Newsvine, Facebook, etc.)
   
9. Send an Old Fashioned email to your friends about the Bum Rush for AoC.
10. Keep talking – Get on ooVoo, iChat, Aim, or where ever you like to talk, and start talking.
    

We need all hands on deck for this one. I’ve used this quote before but I think it fits nicely. Ryunosuke Satoro once said,

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.

The same is true with all of the actions on this list. By ourselves they will do very little, but together we can make waves.

Age of Conversation Bum Rush Badge

For anyone who wants to add some Bum Rush flair to their blog or website, have I got something for you. I’ve designed a badge and provided the HTML code that can be easily copied and pasted. Right now the badge links to this post, but feel free to change it to a post that you’ve written about the Bum Rush event.

If you need any help with the code or have any problems just let me know and I will do my help you get the Bum Rush “bling bling” added to your site.

Just copy and paste the code below:

What You Can Do Right Now

1. Spread the word - Surely you are connected to people outside of your marketing cronies. Start talking hence the word  conversation in the title of the book.
2. Add the Join the Rush Badge to your Blog or Web page. (Just copy and paste the HTML code above.)
   
3. Blog about It - Make sure everyone gets the word that the Bum Rush will be rescheduled.
4. Create a podcast or video and upload to Youtube or other streaming video site (Maybe David Brazeal or Anna Farmery can do a special edition?).
   
5. Add your Reviews and tags on Amazon – Right now the Amazon page looks a little naked. Help fill it up!
   
6. Join the Facebook Group - This is a great way to connect with all of the AOC writers and fans. You can join the group here.
   
7. Become an AOC Fan on Facebook – Show your love for AOC. Yet another awesome way to connect with AOC writers and fans. Join AOC fan page here.
8. Add AOC to Wikipedia - Any experts on Wikipedia guidlines? Made to Stick is a good example of what can be included.

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Got anything to add? Let us know in the comments.