Opus Research, the firm behind Internet2Go, is putting on a different kind of social media event in San Francisco on Feb 2-3, 2011: Conversational Commerce: The Collision between Marketing and Customer Care -- or "C3." 

Most social media events consider issues like "social shopping" or how community is changing consumer applications or social marketing to consumers on Facebook or Twitter. Those are interesting topics but we're aiming for something more specific and enterprise focused -- and we think we're unique or at least first with these topics. 

Customer service now has brand implications because it plays out in public on social networks. And marketing organizations can learn a ton from the data and interactions being captured by customer service units. Most of the time, however, the two groups don't communicate or coordinate. This is a big missed opportunity. And one could argue that social media now forces a "conversation" between these silos within organizations -- even as it's forcing "conversational marketing" on brands. 

The genesis of this event was from multiple conversations we were having with marketers and customer service platform providers. And we think we're bringing together a unique collection of speakers who don't normally appear together on the same stage. We've got companies and organizations like Cisco, RapLeaf, Yelp, iCrossing, Marchex, Innovation Interactive/360i, Edelman, Creative Realities, Acxiom, the MMA, Empirix, Lithium, Get Satisfaction, Orange Labs, Air2Web, Oodle, Closely, Vendasta, Praized, Comcast, Fair Isaac Corporation, Weber Shandwick and others still to be formally announced. 

We also think we've put together a provocative and meaningful agenda that isn't full of the normal social media "fluff." Here are a few of the sessions: 

• Where Does Support End and Marketing Begin – and Vice Versa? 
• The ROI of Social Conversations – What Metrics Should Apply? 
• Shaping the Conversation: Search, Reputation and P2P
• A Parallel Universe: Social CRM for SMBs
• Customer Care in a Mobile and X-Platform World
• The Age of the Individual: From CRM to VRM

The day-and-a-half event will also feature provocative case studies from Cisco, Marchex, Lithium and Get Satisfaction mixed with panel discussions.

The stakes are high for brands and marketers as they figure out how to use social media most effectively for marketing -- and customer support. Marketers and customer care people have a lot to learn from one another but they often aren't talking. This event will get them talking and will showcase best practices and concrete takeaways. 

This isn't a mobile conference, a search conference, a local conference or even a social media conference per se. But it will address all these topics. We think it could turn out to be the most interesting and useful conference you attend in 2011. We're also hosting it in a club (rather than a hotel) in SOMA, San Francisco. 

There are still a few speaking slots available. To inquire about them or to sponsor, contact Pete Headrick (pheadrick@opusresearch.net). Otherwise, Register Now, to get our early bird rate.