Overwhelmed is not myexperience when I visit my local library. On the contrary, as an active member of three libraries (Manly, Manhattan and Brooklyn – yeah I boast) my experience, is always one of hope and curiosity.
The book lined walls never reproach me for not having read them. Neither do I labour under the notion, that unless I’ve read every book in my area of interest, that somehow I’m not measuring up.
Yet, every time I open my Google RSS account, rather than curious, I feel paralized. Unread articles remind me that I’m not keeping up, even worse that my alerts are also unread in one of my subscribers Google Reader.
Unlike a library, where fines apply if books are delayed, RSS Readers are without built in actions that require us to stay on top of the avalanche of information. Sure, alerts ping our email, but it’s a safe bet that your inbox is in worse shape than your Reader.
Returning a read book to the library, on time, never fails to leave me with a sense of accomplishment. I’m always more productive when I use the library, instead of a cafe or home office.
When I use the the computers, or research library I’m rarely tempted to browse non related subjects. If I step away from a computer, another enthusiast won’t hesitate to take over. Even better, I rarely waste a minute of my time when I’m at the library, as unlike my home office, operating hours are non negotiable.
I confess, my RSS Google Reader feels more like a bourgeoning wheelbarrow that’s become too awkward to maneuver.
True to form when humans feel things have become difficult, my reading habits are returning to something simpler, less elusive and illusory.
NB: Written and posted from the Brooklyn Public Library
Blogging is an art form. More than content, timing, form, and expression are all elements of a craft I’m yet to master.
For that reason, I was a little taken aback when I stopped by the blog of a Social Media Chieftain. It had been months since my last visit, so reading another post about life on the road, topped off with the question ‘does that make me sexist? engendered a feeling of dejavu.
If I were to display the contents of my bag, spendiferous with tampons, and dog eared post it notes, my sister and girlfriends might be amused. However, from leading experts, who command substantial fees on the conference circuit, I expect more than repetitive ‘me centric’ commentary. (I left a comment implying as such)
I’m far from a raving Seth Godin fan, in fact I disagree more than agree with Seth, however he has the blog down to a fine art. His pithy, relevant posts usually provoke thought or action.
In my humble opinion, posting is similar to hanging art or family photos. Space and balance are the key to a tasteful display.
Judicious minimalism gives the reader an opportunity to experience your work more intensely. Without the hyperbola, content takes on greater form, and the reader, (rather than the writer ) is invited into a deeper reflection and personal expression.
Perhaps I’m reacting against the burgeoning expression of the blogosphere, regardless, this stream called social media is beginning to sound like one quacked over the cuckoo’s nest.
Has time with your gadgets replaced quality time with family? Do you respond to the ping of your iPhone quicker than a snuggle from your nearest and dearest?
To be honest, I’m becoming increasingly impatient with our excessive reliance on the internet and technology. Not that I don’t appreciate the benefits of the internet, on the contrary, I love social media, but my limit has been reached.
I need blocks of time to recharge and reflect. Time alone in a room without aural or visual stimulation come’s easy to me.
Notwithstanding, I’ve observed, since the acquisition of an iPhone, that my thinking time is constantly interrupted. I’m suffering from a ‘need’ to check my email, or browse the internet, whatever I’m doing at the time. (sound familiar?)
I’m disturbed that my thought processes are frequently interrupted, I’d go so far as to ask myself how this hand held device is reshaping my personality.
In a study published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, researchers from the University of Melbourne in Australia, subjected 173 college students to tests measuring risk for problematic Internet and gambling behaviors. Abour 5 percent of the students showed signs of gambling problems, but 10 percent of the students posted scores high enough to put them in the at-risk category for Internet ‘Addiction”
The study shows that technology use was interfering with the students’ daily lives.
A different group of 200 students were asked by the International Centre for Media and the Public Agenda, at the University of Maryland, to refrain from using electronic media for a day. It was found that giving up technology cold turkey not only makes life logistically difficult, but also changes our ability to connect with others.
Moreover, Dr Aboujaoude asks in her book ‘Virtually You: The Internet and the Fracturing of the Self,” if the efficiency of the iPhone, and anonymity of the chat room, is changing the core of who we are.
I too have to ask myself if the constant digital stimulation has diminshed my ability to focus. Am I the only one who’s frequently way laid by an email notification? Has browsing online [in the name of checking my facts] prevented me from finishing a good book, or simply writing in my journal?
For that reason I’ve decided to disconnect, or at least curtail the iPhone beast.
Think about it, we don’t have to dig too far back to recall the comfort of walking in the rain without the ping of the phone, or sitting by a reading light, instead of a computer screen.
I’m not an evangelist by any means, in fact, the ping from my iPhone continues unheeded as I write. However, like food and alcohol, everything is good in moderation.
Maybe it’s time you too asked if others in your life complain about the amount of time you spend with your technology?
Does going online comfort you?
If going online fixes you, then it’s time to ask what price the toll if we don’t fix it, and fix it NOW?
“Here it is, the shift from deadliness to normal family life that is the strangest” Ernest Hemingway [For Whom the Bell Tolls]
Today I came across this question on a friends Facebook status? A friend I respect, even if we occasionally disagree.
He asked ‘ Do you think the backlash against Facebook is real or is it a media event?
I had this to say, ‘media or member beat-up, Mark Zuckerbergs character is on record.’
As a Harvard Student, Mark Zuckerberg hacked into Harvard’s computer network in 2003.
Plundering students official ID photo’s, he placed them next to each other, and asked users to pick the hottest.
A year later, following allegations he stole the Facebook idea from fellow students, he paid out $65 million by way of compensation.
Not to mention Zuckerger’s latest embarrassment over the surfacing of an IM transcript, where he called his first thousand users ‘dumb f*cks’ for trusting him with their data. An allegation Facebook is not denying.
While Tech Reporters describe the bewildering tangle of Facebook Privacy Options as fiendishly complex, I have to bring the question back to Facebook users.
Media or member beat up, I can’t help feeling the towns people were complacent, in particular the gate keepers. Didn’t the same Marketing and Tech people who are now abandoning profiles, encourage their own communities to follow the Emperor?
Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not absolving the Facebook Founder of his responsibility, on the contrary. Nevertheless, it’s fair to say gate keepers and users gave the Emperor the keys to his kingdom.
The Emperor is bewildered and asks why does everyone argue with me?
However, his Majesties Advisors assured him (and their own court) that it’s we who are the weavers of distinction.
There are some people who add value to your day. They provoke thought, post interesting material, and are all round really lovely.
One such friend is Robin Dickinson. He’s very serious about the business of helping, and inspiring others.
He recently asked:
‘What’s something that people do on Twitter that really bothers you?
After thinking about his question, my conclusion was not much. How other’s run their stream, is their business.
My online policy is simple; tweet and let tweet.
Sure, others have their proclivities, as do I.
Indeed, there are times when I’m up for conversation, however despite my regular tweeting, I listen more than I talk.
It’s not what others do, but what they don’t do that get’s my goat.
What get’s my goat is a lack of critical thinking, shallow research and a lack of questions. In this information age, there’s no excuse for rent an opinion, or living our life on the quote of the day.
What do I say to you, if I get your goat? If I offend (I’m sure I will) or you need a favour, all I ask is you frame your question sweetly. Do unto me as you would like others to do unto you.
How is twitter any different to real life? In real life I greet my neighbour with a smile, stay under the radar when I’m having a bad hair day, and rather than call the police, wear ear plugs when they are entertaining.
To answer your question Robin, my policy is tweet and read the tweet.
My adaptation of The Beatles classic ‘Can’t buy me love’ is my dry response to Australian marketing company uSocials offer to sell Twitter followers. $87 will supposedly get you a thousand new followers; $372.75 will get you ten thousand; $3479 will get you an army of 100,000 new fans.
I had fun with this, so the original video is embedded for your karaoke pleasure.
Can’t buy me friends, friends…
Can’t buy me friends …
I’ll buy you a following my friend if it makes you tweet a’right
I’ll get you a following my friend if it makes you tweet alright
I don’t care if you don’t follow, cause money can’t buy me friends
I’ll tweet you all I got to tweet if you say you’ll tweet me too
I may not have a lot to tweet, but what I’ve got I’ll tweet to you
I don’t care if you don’t follow, money can’t buy me friends
Can’t buy me friends, everybody tells me so
Can’t buy me friends, no no no, nooooo
Say you don’t need no following, and I’ll be satisfied
Tell me that you that want a following that money just can’t buy
I don’t care if you don’t follow, money can’t buy me friends
While I get that not everyone gets social media, what social media strategists need to get is better at communicating the basics of social media.
It was my privilege to sit on a social media panel with Brad Hauck and Yvonne Adele at a National Speakers Association Winter Summit. While a number of delegates were motivated to kick start their social media effort, we three social media mavens felt delegates were not entirely convinced.
For those who are convinced, but uncertain where to start, I’ve compiled five start up points to measure you progress from the outset.
1 Monitor your competition
All your favorite sites and blogs can be delivered to your door through an RSS Feed. RSS means a Really Simply Syndicated Feed, and all too easy to set up. Create a Google Reader account, organize feeds from your bookmarked sites into folders. You no longer have to search for information about your competition, it’s now delivered to your front door.
2 Monitor your influence
Google Alerts are a free resource that help you keep an eye on websites, blogs, videos and groups that Google indexes. Go to Google Alerts and set one up for each key word you want monitored. Start with your company name, the name of your product, your name and the names of your employees.
Google alerts can be delivered to your email, through your RSS Feed or both.
3 Monitor the conversation
Real time search works the same way as a Google alert, but with a real time feed you monitor what people are saying about you and your industry.
Go to any real time search engines like twitter or Friend Feed and set up your RSS feeds for the same keywords.
4 Monitor your social media accounts
Social media accounts are your shop front, the window to your business so they need to be kept up to date, relevant and content rich. Too many people set up social media accounts, only to leave them in the corner like an outdated piece of office equipment collecting dust.
Creating a social media presence is critical to extending your brand and generating visibility for your products and services. Don’t be lazy, stay up to date!
5 Monitor your relationships
Adding friends without building relationships is pointless, however building a presence is impossible without creating worthwhile connections. Because I’m a Professional Speaker, my number one site is SpeakerSite, therefore I introduce myself to new members, read blogs, respond to posts and express genuine interest in what people are doing. It takes time, but people are not interested in what I have to say, unless I first express an interest in what they have to say.
Finally, Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter are widely accepted as the Holy Trinity of Social Media. Notwithstanding, it was said at the Winter Summit Speakers don’t need Facebook, therefore allow me to draw your attention to the latest Nielsen Research. As of June 2009, if Baby Boomers continue to sign up at the present rate, their presence on Facebook will overtake Gen Y.
While my preferred business sites are Linkedin and SpeakerSite, I’ve begun to allow business connections to bleed into my Facebook tribe. It’s my smallest page, but it yields high volume traffic to my blogs.
As a PR and Marketing model for business, social media is here to stay. No more excuses, take action and monitor your progress from today!
While I don’t always agree with Seth Godin, I pay attention to his ideas, and believe he’s right about developing a bloggers mindset.
I began blogging on myspace, which I’m proud to say was a very successful blog. Writing a collection of personal stories was my first foray into the bloggasphere, and now four blogs later, (including twitter) I take Seth Godin’s point about twitter.
Twitter is not without value, in fact a good percentage of my readers come from twitter, however contrary to what the twitteratie would have you believe, it’s not the alpha and omega of social media.
Many would do well to heed Seth’s point that twitter can be nothing more than an opportunity to stay busy while not actually doing anything.
In an interview with Josh Bernoff Seth went on to say, ‘… “For me the issues are distraction, time management, the little voice of self-doubt and the desire to push through …Comments and Twitter are like a Fresnel lens. You can use them to focus attention if you’re very disciplined and very good, or, if you’re like me, you’ll end up finding your energy and attention diffused into a maelstrom, lost to the winds of inanity, anger or trivia.”
And there’s the sticking point for all writers: time management! While I’ve invested time making twitter work for me, I’ve reached the point where I need to manage my time better.
I’ve discovered when I get on twitter, like a morning mist my time evaporates, and before I know it, I could have written a dozen blogs. As a researcher, listening and observing’s in my DNA, however left unchecked, it’s easy to get sidelined and follow worthless leads.
Here’s my point, I’ve a lot of writing to get finished before I leave for the States in October, so today I called my upstart employee Mr Twitter into my office and gave him a dressing down.
Looking him in the eye, I handed him a stern warning, “Mr Twitter, as of tomorrow you’re no longer allowed to stroll into my office when you feel like it, you start and finish work precisely when the whistle blows. Every twea break and conversation around the water cooler will be recorded on your time sheet, and all outcomes measured in the context of the companies overall social media strategy.”
With my social media strategy reinforced, and a restored conviction I gave the upstart an early mark and returned to my passion; blogging!
Australian Radio Hosts Kyle Sandilands and his sidekick Jackie O from The Kyle And Jackie Show came under fire this week, when a 14-year-old girl, under a polygraph test, admitted she’d been raped.
The backlash for the Radio Hosts resulted in calls for dismissal. As well, fans abandoned the Hosts twitter and Facebook fan pages as fast as rats abandon a sinking ship.
In the Herald Sun2DayFM insiders confirmed the pair refuse to work with the industry standard safety net called the seven-second delay button.
A 2DayFM staffer said Sandilands believed “pure” live radio was ‘better entertainment.” “Kyle believes the kill button kills the truth, …” said the source who wished to remain anonymous.
When uncensored communication in online communities like Facebook, Myspace and twitter plays out like a Phil Donahue episode, is it any wonder the lines of appropriate public disclosure are so bent out of shape.
While we as a society rightly question how on earth a 14-year-old girl was allowed to go to air under such conditions, I believe the public hysteria reeks of hypocrisy.
I’m by no means minimizing the naked exploitation of an under age girl, as well I appreciate how a young girl would need to unburden. (under the same conditions, I would have disclosed such a crime in the biggest public arena I could find)
Notwithstanding, this on air exploitation is akin to a Radio Host asking a naive guest ‘tell us how you really feel’, followed with a double click on ‘share’ with my friends.
My argument is, live to air radio and television are not the only communities best served by a seven second delay button.
A quote on my bathroom mirror, ‘you never get a second chance to make a first impression,’ has served me well.
Whenever I step out, whether it’s personal or business, this quote arrests my attention before making a dash for the door.
To my way of thinking, this quote expresses the heart of of Personal Branding.
Branding experts would have us believe it’s is a complex science, when in fact, Personal Branding is a mindset. It’s not something we add on to who we are, but a way of thinking that directs our behavior, and influences the atmosphere.
With this in mind I invite you to join me in asking ourselves the following heart felt questions:
1 When was the last time I did something for someone without wondering ‘what’s in it for me?’
I’ve learned to rely on the age old advice given to friends of families who’ve lost a loved one. Don’t wait for them to ask for help, because you can be sure they won’t.
Most people don’t ask for help, so you take the initiative and look for someone outside your sphere of influence and create worth without a thought for ‘what’s in it for me.’
2 Am I in the habit of speaking in Marketing & PR jargon?
Boring …lets get real. No one was more versed in formal, diplomatic jargon than me. After working in government for over fifteen years, I learned how to pitch for tenders and raise Ministerials, however people would rather I talk to them, not at them. Industry speak is old school, so get past it and get on with a real conversation.
3 Do I respond when others give me a mention?
Before I discovered tweetdeck I was lost in a maelstrom of twitterlogue. I missed the mentions my friends gave me and the conversations, many of which I had actually started. But what disappointed me, was I missed the opportunity to return the favor.
The golden rule of Personal Branding is, do above and beyond what others do for you.
4 Before posting a public comment, do I ask myself, ‘what would my mother think of this?’
My British humor is very black (and blue), which doesn’t always translate well online. Though my mother often laughed at my humor in private, she blushed in public.
Likewise, cross cultural communication styles need to be taken into account.
The bottom line is, whatever the variables, when in doubt … DON’T!
5 Does my Personality shine through my content?
This can be difficult for introverts and creatives. Because creative people are unique they’re often tempted to adopt a faux business identity.
Until recently, I rarely discussed my private life online, and never mentioned my ten year old grand daughter. After revealing small details of my personal life, no one was more surprised than me that more people wanted to do business with me.
Social networking has changed the way we communicate and blurred the lines between personal and business. Be creative and don’t be afraid to allow your Personality to shine.
In the final analysis, with the plethora of digital media and social networking tools it’s little wonder Personal Branding has become such an art form.
For all that still, the most powerful impression our Personal Brand can make is when it’s just that, Personal.
With more than 200 million active users worldwide, Facebook has become the fastest growing and best-known site on the internet.
A trend that’s resulted in an increase in business operators adopting Facebook, Linkedin and twitter as a basic social media platform
Whereas Myspace offers greater customization, Facebook’s minimalist design has enormous appeal for business. Like Linkedin, Facebook’s design is functional and spam free.
If you haven’t already created a business page, here’s a step by step guide to get your business page up and running:
1 Scroll down to the bottom of your page and click on Advertising in the text menu
2 You will be directed to a page with an option to create a business page, where you click on the ‘+Create Page icon’
3 Fill in the fields, and voila …a brand new business page in a little over ten minutes.
But wait there’s more ….
1 Adjust your settings to make sure your private page isn’t on view to your business network.
2 Create lists for ‘work’, family’ and ‘friends’
3 Create your unique Facebook URL so others can find you in search
4 Create a badge (like mine displayed beneath) and upload on all your other social media sites
Think of the wall as a shop front window where we display our wares, therefore limits posts to business updates, events and business content only.
As with everything, it’s all in the set up, so invest time and forethought in the message you wish to communicate to your network. If it’s set up right there’ll be little doubt in any one’s mind you mean business.
I’m happy to connect on Facebook, so send me a connection if you believe that together we can create some worth. Catherine White | Create your badge
A Morgan Stanley Report found under twenty five’s only make up 16 percent of twitter users.
Although this group are the biggest users of media, they’re not prepared to pay for it, they resent traditional billboard, TV and internet marketing, and prefer sms, Facebook, Myspace and Youtube.
For instance, in an interview with David Meerman Scott Amanda said “I tweeted as a joke that I was all alone again on a Friday night, at my computer like a loser.”
“Other people started chiming in and we were all losers. One of my friends called it a virtual flash mob and all of a sudden there were a thousand people hanging out and following the dialog between the fans. We started a faux organization called The Losers of Friday Night on their Computers.”
The number one trending topic at the time became the Losers hashtag #LOFNOTC, which in turn lead to requests for their own T Shirt with the slogan ‘Don’t Stand up for What’s right, Stay in For What’s Wrong.’
Amanda’s Web marketing company quickly created a site, and in half an hour sold T Shirts online for $25 each. 200 T-shirts were sold, with several hundred more sold over the next twenty four hours.
According to Amanda’sblog in a little over two hours the takings reached a staggering $11,000.
As I see it Amanda’s success boils down to this. The same Amanda that hangs out for hours with the fans after her concerts, sends out her own tweets on twitter.
On or off stage she’s real, which is reason enough for her under twenty five year old tweople to stand up, stay in and tweet about being the the biggest losers.
Virtual Assistant (VA) Kathie Thomas virtually reinvented herself when she decided to leave the rat race and build a virtual home based business.
Little did she know her decision to create a saner life for herself and her family, would birth the Australian Virtual Assistant Network.
From the power of One to a membership of over 300 hundred in eighteen countries, Kathie was deluged with emails from women across the world, wanting to know how they too could become VA’s.
A savvy business woman, Kathie attributes her success to systems, social networking and her role as moderator of an Australian and Canadian chat forum.
Added to the 10,000 strong membership of the Virtual Assistant Networking Association, it’s easy to see how she’s been able to help thousands of women return home to work.
Providing a range of tasks from desk top publishing to clearing inboxes and social networking, Kathie’s VA’s work anywhere between 30 – 40 hours a week. With no less than five years experience, each VA has a niche skill set, and up-to-date knowledge of the latest systems and social networks.
She says, “A lot of VA’s draw on their own skills,” “These can include pretty much any work that can be outsourced, from business and investment research to IT services or web design …”
A highly qualified work force with superior time management and social networking skills, VA’s can earn from $35 an hour for word processing, up to $60 an hour for web based work and data management.
A passionate advocate for mums who want to work from home, Kathie says “I’ll happily teach clients how to set up social networks or post messages online for them, but I won’t pretend to be them.”
Kathie wants to help women use skills they developed in the work force to return home to work. If your sick of train strikes and want a more flexible work week, contact Kathie through one of her social networks.
Kathie Thomas is an Author, Speaker and twice nominated for Australian of the Year in her home state of Victoria. Kathie and Graham are the proud parents of five beautiful daughters.
Since the economic crash the biggest topic up for discussion is, how can business use Social Media to promote their products and services?
I’m often asked, with so many options out there how do I know what’s right for us?
I believe the seeds of success are always in the set up. When we set up right in the beginning, success is all the more possible.
For that reason I recommend ‘Social Media Mission Statements’.
A thoughtful, clearly written Mission Statement is the framework within which purpose and goals are defined? For instance, when I’ve revisited former mission statements I’ve been amazed at the precision of my silent navigator.
But (I hear you ask) isn’t writing a Social Media Mission Statement akin to putting the cart before the horse? How can I write a Social Media Mission Statement if I don’t know what social media platform I’m need to adopt?
without a mission the people perish
Let me ask you this? Would you go on the Kokoda Trail without a guide? Would you go scuba diving without an underwater compass?
Neither is it wise to venture into an unknown medium without clearly defined objectives.
A Social Media Mission Statement shouldn’t be confused with a Social Media Policy. A Social Media Policy comes after the fact, and directs social media engagement.
Nor does a Social Media Mission Statement have to read like the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States.
It can be as simple as …
“The purpose of our social media policy is to protect and promote the interests of career mothers, while serving the needs of the members of our Association‘
We now have the directives for social media decisions and policies, which are the key words, ‘protect, promote, career mothers, serve, members and Association.
Instead of wasting time with unprofitable sidelines, A Social Media Mission Statement serves as guide in selecting social media tools that reach and serve your target audience.
Don’t be daunted at the prospect of writing a Social Media Mission Statement, just get down to the business of writing the purpose and goals of your business.
That done, it’s easier to switch off to a lot of social media babble, and pave a way that’s relevant and worthwhile for your business.
Staying up to date with online conversation is like watching the news or reading the papers. With real time feeds like twitter, it’s never been easier, however a tweet or comment an A List Conversationalist doth not make.
Call me old fashioned, but the principals of online conversation are similar to real life conversation. Interesting conversation is a combination of good manners, showing interest in others and knowing when to shut up.
The Five habits of an A List Conversationalist are:
Active Listening
Active listening is listening before jumping in with ill informed opinions. I recommend the 80/20 rule; 80% listening and 20% commenting is a good habit.
Abundant gratitude wins friends
Recently I expressed an opinion about someone’s video interviewing technique, without any regard for the interviewers feelings. While I stand by what I said, in hindsight it would have been helpful to thank him for his efforts. Expressing gratitude when others freely share information is a good habit.
Ask questions
Questions, surveys or polls are great conversation starters. Notwithstanding, be careful to mix up your content, as you want to keep friends wondering what your going to say next. Knowing what to ask, and when to ask is a good habit.
Agree to disagree
Disagreeing doesn’t mean disagreeable, so be careful not to kill conversation with defensive or obnoxious comments.
Conversation is all the more interesting for differences, therefore disagreeing without burning bridges is a good habit.
Acknowledge when the conversation is over
Some Moderators need to learn when to close a conversation. The most interesting conversations can be the shortest, whereas lengthy can turn into boring.
The best conversations lead into personal stories and anecdotes, therefore using comments to develop relationships is a good habit.
Finally, remember your conversations reveal your character, in which case subordinating the mouth to the ears displays your good habits.
the ears are the channel which all conversation flows
When I blogged ‘stay in the game’ as my banner for 2009 it wasn’t until mid year I’d realize how prophetic those words would become. I don’t know why I chose that phrase, except at the time it was a heartfelt conviction.
Social media is not new to me, since 2002 I’ve been in the social media game. With over twenty years working in PR, I would have given anything then for the tools at our disposal today.
Nevertheless, since 2002 I’ve read and continue to read literally thousands of blogs. Reading and listening to the conversation is essential research and entertaining. (you guessed it, I don’t watch television)
Larry’s practical insights leave no doubt he walks (or runs) his talk. As a Marathon Runner, Larry’s acquainted with the necessary preparation for a big race, principals he applies to his life, in particular his social media campaign.
I recommend Larry to my friends as thoroughly researched writer who understands what it takes to win in the Social Media Marathon.’
As for me, his article is a timely reminder the race is only won when we stay in the game.
Small to medium business operators face numerous challenges, not least keeping up with insurance cover. Insurance isn’t cheap, but not having comprehensive cover can break a business.
In this current climate, economics are everything, which is why I believe a Linkedin profile is akin to an insurance policy you can’t afford to be without.
Since the economic crash in September, Linkedin’s growth has been staggering. With over 30 million members world wide, a new profile created every two seconds, Linkedin is recognized as the Facebook for professionals.
For all that, there continues to be many who’ve never heard of Linkedin, or those who know they need it, yet continue to put it off for a rainy day.
The fact is, the explosion of social networking tools in the last five years is such, job seekers can’t afford not to have a Linkedin presence.
Following the economic crash, Linkedin has become the number one location for Human Resource Managers, Agencies, Contractors, Consultants and Employers.
The primary difference between Linkedin and a resume is, Linkedin not only reflects your work history, but shows who you’re connected to, and where you see yourself in the future.
A Linkedin profile comes alive with slide shows documenting your skills, a blog showing you’re a specialist in your industry, your itinerary, events and referrals.
You can keep up to date with industry trends, participate in online networking events, contribute to discussions and generate a buzz for your latest project.
If you still feel Linkedin sounds like too much effort, let me ask you this, ‘in it’s present form does your resume have you covered?
Seth Godin says adding friends for the sake of adding friends is pointless, and Chris Brogan doesn’t believe being a friend is an automatic endorsement.
Nevertheless, there’s a case to be argued for making online friends, it’s just how you do it and for what purpose.
I’ve benefited from reaching out and connecting with strangers. Granted, there’s often a nagging question if my efforts are worthwhile, but to not offer or receive a hand of friendship could very well be a lost opportunity.
I’ve made so many online friends, many whom I mentor, and countless business collaborations that have paid off in the short term. Nevertheless, one of the biggest benefits are relationships developed with a view to the long term.
Human beings naturally create communities and networks. Very little’s changed, except social networks have replaced the traditional fan club as a type of business model. Facebooks business fan pages being a case in point. Networks are not only communities with common goals and interests, but distribution channels for content, products and services.
Since online connections often lead to relationships in real life, I’ll reference the prose, something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue to highlight four benefits derived from creating online friendships.
Something old
There’s no feeling like that of reconnecting with a long lost friend. Facebook, Linkedin and Myspace search engines are the Inspector Clouseau of social networks, so put them to work and reconnect with a former work colleague or friend.
Something new
Making new friends isn’t easy for a lot of people, however it’s never been easier with social networking tools. If your profile is current and your mug shot reasonable, what’s stopping you from sending a friend request. A quick search brings up people with similar interests and values, so don’t sit there waiting for the inbox to ping, you make the first move.
Something borrowed
Networks have become social capital. For instance, Linkedin members who are one or two degrees away from a person they need to meet can ask a friend to make an introduction on their behalf. An acceptable practice, introductions are the new way of doing business.
Something blue
We are limited only by our own judgements or insecurities, the horizon knows no such limits, neither the sky a ceiling.
Social networking is the bridge between online and offline interaction. Unlike face to face networking events with a room full of strangers, in your own time and at your own pace, you can introduce yourself online any time day or night.
With the preliminaries taken care of, getting down to business offline is more efficient and effective.
There’s no excuse for holding back, even Seth Godin would argue reaching out to create worth is being a friend with benefits.
The state of being in love and that of having a strong sense of purpose are identical. Each state is defined by various drives, not least the drive to acquire the object of it’s desire.
The first stages of a social media campaign can have the excitement and romance of akin to a love affair.
Nevertheless, those who’ve implemented a social media policy early testify, that first rush quickly gave way under a mountain of email or complaints one’s performance is not what it was.
Research tells us the key ingredient to successful relationships are healthy boundaries. People in relationships with firm boundaries are happier and secure. Whereas low morale and insecurity are the mark of fuzzy boundaries.
Social media policies are no different. They are documents that define stakeholder boundaries across the entire organization. Employees with incentives and clearly defined roles are less likely to up and take the company capital in a fit of rage or revenge.
So getting down to it, what are the elements of an A list Social media policy?
Ambition
Set goals. Short to medium and long term goals focus a campaign. Morale and relationships are enhanced when performance incentives are part and parcel of company policies. Don’t hold back with appreciation and rewards.
Audience Social media is relational. Relationships with customers, relationships with clients, relationships with regulators and shareholders. Policies need to enhance not stifle company culture, so keep policies customer focused.
Add Value
In a medium where so much information is available free, business’ need to think creatively and create worth. For instance Pizza Hut provide time limited offers to customers who mention specific tweets.
Authentic
Campaigns that win are those with real people behind the scenes. Real people buy from real people, so keep it real.
Action
Relationships thrive when time is invested, which is certainly the case with social media. Policies need to clearly outline tasks, time lines, procedures and key performance indicators.
Agility
Because social media is evolving it’s a steep learning curve, so stay flexible. Let’s face it, what can go wrong often does, so worst case scenario policies are critical.
Be willing to admit when policies are not working. Give staff ownership by inviting feedback and including them in policy reviews.
Accountability:
Employees are responsible for the organizations reputation, therefore employers must provide precise guidelines with no room for interpretation.
Company orientation programs need to include basic social media guidelines. Staff need to be aware of the risks associated with leaked intellectual property.
Additionally, staff need to understand and accept companies are within their rights to monitor staff social networking activities, during and outside office hours.
Relationships work when both parties are in agreement. Certainly, employees feel secure when they’re assured contractual agreements not only preserve the companies reputation, but also safe guards their rights.
Boundaries, policies or guidelines … the language only reflects the organization. Even so, the companies driven by a sense of purpose, adapt to change, and adopt A List practices.
Developing a Social Media policy is easier when its crafted by people with people in mind.
Notifications, friend requests and settings are on the top right hand corner. If you just want to clean up your events, click on event invitations, scroll to the bottom right hand corner and click dismiss all.
The status at the top center page is a feature that will be functional across the Ning network in September. When you update a status on one profile it will automatically update your status across all your networks.
What are you waiting for, time to go home and get down to a little housekeeping …
Women are emerging as leaders and influencers in the social media evolution. Young mothers and older women meet, shop and talk online in much the same way they connect offline.
According to the respondents from the female social networking site ShesConnected, 79% educated themselves by researching for products and services, 64% of which expected discounts.
48% belonged to four or more social networks, the most common being:
Marketers traditionally targeted women as the one who controls the purse strings. While women continue as major decision makers in respect to household spending, these figures indicate they’re far from uneducated consumers.
Neither are they passively waiting for salesmen to knock on their door with something she doesn’t want.
Unlocking creative thinking skills to generate and implement unique ideas is Yvonne Adele’s business. Formerly known as the technology expert Ms Megabyte, Yvonne birthed Ideas Culture as a way of creating new ideas for business short on ideas.
Using twitter to recruit a virtual global workforce of ‘Ideas Agents’, Yvonne has demonstrated business can use twitter as a problem solving tool
In less than a week of tweeting random connections became an Ideas Agents workforce.
‘Ideas While You Sleep’ is an online service where companies submit a business challenge by 4.00pm. Yvonne then selects Ideas Agents from her global team chosen from 170+ who work on it overnight while the client sleeps.
By 10am the next morning clients receive in their inbox an ideas pack including 100+ that includes supporting evaluation and implementation template.
From the moment Yvonne sent out her first tweet seeking Ideas Agents, the initial 72 that registered overnight have grown to over 170 in eight countries world wide.
Agents come from all walks of life get paid for their ideas. From multi-national CEOs, entrepreneurs, professionals, comedians, students and retirees …all have been recruited via twitter.
“Creative ideas can give a company a real advantage over its competitors – especially during a downturn,” Yvonne said. “But with business owners under intensified pressure, fresh ideas can be hard to come by.”
Twitter might be in it’s early days, however case studies like this demonstrate any business can be just a tweet away from 100 potential solutions to their present business problem.
On this day in history, single mother Ann Smith Franklin became the first female editor of an American newspaper, the Mercury of Newport in Rhode Island.
With the help of her three children, she birthed an illustrious career as a publisher and editor, after taking over her deceased husband’s printing company.
Ann became the General Assembly’s official printer to the colony, a position she held until she died. In this official capacity, she printed the colony’s charter granted by Charles II of England.
To supplement her income, she printed sermons for ministers, advertisements for merchants, as well as popular British novels.
She petitioned and won the contract for all printing work for the General Assembly of Rhode Island.
Ann’s most notable work was compiling and publishing five editions of the Rhode Island Almanack, she sold her brother-in-law Benjamin’s alamanac, Poor Richard’s Alamanac, and in 1745, she printed her largest commission of 500 copies of the Acts and Laws of Rhode Island as a folio edition.
Stamped the Widow Franklin she was first woman newspaper editor in the United States, the first woman to write an almanac, and 200 hundred years after her death, she was the first woman inducted into the University of Rhode Island’s Journalism Hall of Fame.
Here’s three tools to help you take control and organize tweet overload.
1TwitterFox is a Firefox extension that notifies you of your friends’ tweets on Twitter.
This extension adds a tiny icon on the status bar which notifies you when your friends update their tweets. It also has a small text input field to update your tweets.
2Twalala filters out tweets from your twitter stream by keywords and phrases, with a mute button for talkative friends.
2 twittersnooze is another snooze button for friends that suffer from verbiage.
If you want google and search engines to find your blog, you need to write headlines for a wire service.
Writing sexy, exciting headlines for traditional print media doesn’t work online. Blog headlines with key words get picked up by google and search engines.
Think about it, when people use search engines they’re looking for answers to questions.
For example, I wrote a pithy post about a funny incident where you had to be there to get it. Yet ‘Update your lipstick in 140 seconds or less’ consistently comes up in the search engine under ‘lips’. Nothing to do with social media, yet that post is hit on daily. (pun intended)
Note to self: to get hit on for business use key words in headlines!
How’s your website performing? Has it become a couch potato, holding top position without any internal accountability?
A fabulous free SEO tool called Website Grader will measure your websites marketing effectiveness. All you do is type in your website address and Website Grader will generate a free report that includes website traffic, SEO, social popularity and other technical data.
TheWebsite Grader report also provides basic advice on how to ramp up your sites SEO and Marketing.
Since it’s original design my website has ranked consistently in the top three in google, however a Website Grader report is helping us pull in the slack with our rebranding.
Whether your rebranding or starting out, Website Graders report will be a handy guide along the way.
Regardless, it’s time to call you couch potato in to report for duty.
If you want to keep track of your twitter performance, a tool I recommend is Twitter Counter.
There’s numerous tracking tools on the web, many which are credible and widely utilized. That said, when tracking your twitter ranking, keep in mind real time feeds bounce around considerably.
Even so, I’ve found it consistent enough for me to recommend.
Twitter Counter keeps track of your tweets, your average daily growth and visits to your page. Added to that you can view your predicted growth for the next thirty days.
I make a point of tracking Australia’s performance on the Global Stage, so the Top 100 and Top 100 in your city is my all time favorite feature.
And what is a site today without a signature badge which you can upload to your page as reminder to review your analytics at least once a week. Give it a whirl, and let me know what you think.
I’m enjoying this weeks handy tips, and my analytics tells me you are too.
When The Rite of Spring premiered in 1913 the dancers couldn’t hear their cues, the Composer walked out complaining the bassoon was used incorrectly, and fights broke out in the audience.
Because Stravinsky’s juxtoposition of traditional sounds with offbeat rhythms broke all the rules, he disrupted the established order and caused public confusion.
David Meerman’s propositions in ‘The New Rules of Marketing & PR, while released to rave reviews, has had no less an effect on the established PR & Marketing order.
However, since social media is moving so fast, the #smdsyd disputes over definition was pointless. By the time an agreement on definition is reached, another new order has emerged, while the old dancers stand on tip toe listening for their cue.
Social media is by and large consumer driven, and guess what? When they type questions into their favorite search engine, it’s answers to their needs they’re seeking, not a definition of our job description!
Frankly, if you ask me to define what I am or what department I should operate in, it’s akin to asking me to describe a sound. I can tell you whether it’s pleasing to the ear or grates on my nerves, but where that sound begins and ends is best left to the sound engineer.
And there’s the rub; because social media goes beyond the four Ps of standard marketing, it’s not so easily engineered.
The PR & Marketing Composers can defend their bassoon’s right to be played correctly, but in the final analysis, the pace at which social media moves makes our cries for definition sound as discordant as Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring.
David Meerman Scott's view of a somewhat unruly, slightly drunk, but lovably fun crowd at my #smcsyd gig in Sydney
Undoubtedly, the hot topic is Social Media. Individuals, SME’s, Corproations, Not for Profit and Government sectors want to know what it is and what to do next..
For example, a colleague who works for The Salvation Army and Lifeline asked “With so many options out there how do I decide on the right one?”
My first social network was a myspace profile when I was the Presenter for Sydney’s Rooftop Sessions. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to find fresh talent and ramp up audience attendance.
The success of the event was such artists were willing to travel from across NSW to Manly to perform, most of the artists attracted cover stories in the Manly Daily and talent scouts from Sony BMG & Australian Idol attended.
All of which was accomplished with a highly targeted use of one social media channel, which in turn led to other projects and collaborations for many of the artists.
Using this example, I made the point to my colleague I began with one network. That one page birthed two other niche myspace profiles that fed into the main site.
So many I talk with are overwhelmed and paralized by information overload. Nevertheless, that’s no excuse for inaction. The question is not will we or won’t we, but what’s the price of non action?
Indeed, while your shuffling your feet with Social Media, you can be sure your competitor is gaining the market advantage. Even if they are only in the experimental stage, if your competitor is where your not, they are ahead.
Only you understand the niche of your business and what resources you can dedicate to getting started. As to where to get started the choices are easily, Linkedin, Facebook, Myspace, Youtube or Ning.
With over 1.1 million communities there’s no question you’ll find a site for just about everything on Ning.
Myspace and Ning have blog capabilities, Facebook has notes, and Linkedin is aggregated with the popular blog WordPress.
As a micro blogging platform twitter is fabulous, particularly for generating interest in blogs and building relationships. However, if getting started is akin to starting a new program at the gym, I suggest you hold off on twitter until you get your network up and running.
One site is all that’s needed to kick off a social media program, as from there you can create blogs, groups and forums
Most Corporations fear losing control, whereas the issue for SME’s is cash flow. They don’t have the money to spend on building a social media platform, however anyone who starts with one is streets ahead of a competitor who’s got none.
To quote Scott Reed, “This one step – choosing one goal and sticking to it, changes everything.”
My biggest fear on my first day as a young receptionist was the prospect of hanging up on the boss while I learned how to use the PABX switchboard.
As a Member of the NSW Legislative Council my boss was a formidable character, indeed it’s not called the bear pit for nothing.
Nevertheless, I mastered that switch board in no time. I transferred calls, dispatched messages, and directed traffic from my front desk without so much as breaking a nail.
As I see it twitter is like the reception desk to your social media office. Twitter is out front dispatching messages, directing traffic, communicating with stake holders and keeping track of the company’s reputation.
It took time to get the hang of twitter, and to be honest it wasn’t until I downloaded tweetdeck I really got it. Even so, when I first opened tweetdeck my early career as a receptionist passed before my eyes.
Ignoring the knot in my stomach at the sight of a browser with bells and whistles, I was on the party line in no time.
If your reading this, chances are you’re using twitter, however it’s my observation from following the live stream, many are still posting from the web.
If that’s the case, can I suggest you take a moment to download tweetdeck.(there’s other browsers such as hootsuite, but I use and like tweetdeck.)
* Tweet directly from your iPhone or iPod Touch.
* Manage multiple Twitter accounts.
* View notifications for new tweets received.
* Use columns to create your personal dashboard.
* Simply sync to set-up
* Continuously updates between your desktop and iPhone.
* Create Groups to easily follow all your friends.
* Follow topics in real-time with saved searches.
* Reply to tweets and send direct messages.
* Easily re-tweet messages.
* Share photos with Twitpic and YFrog.
* Shorten links with your favourite URL shortener.
* Follow and un-follow people.
* Shake your iPhone to refresh columns.
Trust me, before you know it you’ll be operating that deck like Pro-Am
To conclude the story of my time as receptionist, I’m happy to report the only sour grapes was when I accidentally made my boss a cup of tea with salt instead of sugar.
Are you vaguely intelligent with too much time on your hands?
Bradley Trevor Greive’s Big Bear Book Reviews of ill considered opinions are not to be missed.
In these funny Webisodes, New York Times bestselling author Bradley Trevor Grieve (BTG) answers questions about books with the ease of a literary god.
I had the pleasure of hearing BTG speak at a National Speakers Association meeting in 2001 at a Dymocks Book Store in Sydney. Since that launch of his second book Dear Mom, which was published on the heels of his best seller The Blue Day Book, BTG’s books have gone on to sell over 20 million copies in 115 countries.
A February 2009 worldwide survey by security software company Sophos found that 50% to 60% of companies studied blocked access to social networking sites from the workplace.
Productivity was the most-cited reason, followed by threats from malicious software (known as malware) and data leakage (the possibility that employees might share proprietary information on these sites). In fact, 62.8% of the managers polled felt employees shared too much information via social networks.
If you’re on a mission to persuade your CEO of Social Media’s merits you might remind them of Mark Twain’s advice, “The more things are forbidden, the more popular they become.”
If you are a Marketer or Social Media Marketer you update twitter up to nine times a day.
Likewise, if your organization already has a Social Media Platform, chances are you’re not hanging around long enough to make twitter work for you.
According to Sysomos 85.37% users tweet less than once a day, with 1.1% of users who are marketers and social media marketers updating their timeline more than 10 times a day.
Nevertheless, eMarket research shows twitter usage has increased an astronomical 2,000% since 2008.
Research forecasts a further 15.5% growth of Adults users who’ll access the microblogging service via another social networking platform.
Nielsen also reported a 2,000% growth of nearly 21 million unique visitors over May 2009.
The high concentration of marketers and social media marketers using twitter shows business is willing to experiment with twitter, however eMarketer report “.. large numbers of users are abandoning twitter after a short period of experimentation …”
While these are still early daze for twitter, the numbers clearly indicate this isn’t the time for business to retreat but dig in and retweet.
When it comes to hosting Professional Development events for it’s members, the National Speakers Association is by far the best. This week in Sydney the Emcee is Paul Wallbank, MIchael Harrison is the featured speaker, with the inclusion of a Social Media Panel.
Guest Speaker: Michael Harrison CSP
Asks Speakers who’ve gone out with “starry eyed enthusiasm”, how they’re really travelling. Are they getting the bookings, are clients returning with repeat bookings and referrals.
What, Why and Wow of Social Media (Web 2.0)
The panel will go beyond the hype and hysteria of online social media to explain how FaceBook, LinkedIn, Youtube and Twitter, The panel will answer some of the pressing social media questions facing speakers today.
• For a speaker, what can social media marketing achieve that can’t already be achieved via their own blog, podcast or website?
• Which of the social media platforms are best suited to speakers?
• When it comes to marketing via social media, what are the main do’s and don’ts for speakers?
• Tips for building a community online
• Recommendations for engaging with a community online
• What kind of strategy is best when it comes to using social networks – more or less?
Iggy Pintado
An experienced business leader, executive, coach, speaker and author, Iggy is internationally recognised connection technology expert and a dedicated observer of societal and business models and patterns.
Over the last 22 years, he has held professional, management and executive positions in marketing, sales, channels, operations and online management at both technology giant IBM (1986-2006) and until recently, at telecommunications specialists, Telstra. In 2008, he co-founded a business networking consulting, marketing, coaching and mentoring business based in Sydney, Australia called ConnectGen, where he is CEO and CNO (Chief Networking Officer). As a “super-connected” networker on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, he has earned his place in the Top 25 list of the most connected business networkers in Australia.
In April 2009, Iggy released his first book, Connection Generation, a fascinating study of how connectedness affects our place in society and business, and the challenges and opportunities this compelling development presents.
Laurel Papworth has been a virtual communities/online Community/Social Network consultant since 1989 when she was involved in Twin Peaks IRC and Usenet groups online. For the last decade, Laurel has been running virtual worlds and MMORPGs as a game moderator, forum admin, customer service manager and marketing consultant. Laurel has a patent in social network currencies and is considered a leading social media monetization strategist worldwide.
Since 2005, Laurel has been teaching social media classes, including at the University of Sydney, has advised projects such as Interactive (social media) Emmy award winning Scorched.TV and recently went to Saudi Arabia to work on the iMatter Project for Middle East Broadcasting, teaching Arabic women how to blog and use social media to gain a “voice”. She also runs workshops on Government 2.0 on their social media strategies in Asia.
Laurel is currently in top Power150 bloggers for Marketing and Media worldwide, as collated by the global Advertising Age magazine. She is a popular keynote speaker around the world, recently returning from a Portugal keynote, and her books and courseware are available for download under Creative Commons Licence from LaurelPapworth.com.
Paul Wallbank
Paul Wallbank is an author, entrepreneur and speaker with over fifteen years experience of showing businesses, governments and households how the world is changing.
Paul is best known for his radio spots discussing technology nationally on ABC Local Radio and ABC702 Sydney, Paul has helped thousands of home and office users understand their computers and the Internet.
THURSDAY Sept 17, 2009 – NSW NSAA Meeting
Time: 6:00pm – 8:30pm Venue: Royal Automobile Club of Australia, 89 Macquarie St, Sydney How Much: $60 for members (before COB Monday, 14th Sept) $80 guests
$80 for members and guests after COB
The Sun Herald article ‘Facebook’s selling your soul’ asks the question, just how targeted is advertising on Facebook?
Facebook members claim advertising strategies have become so refined, a change in marital status brings about an instant change in ads. From wedding gowns to baby ads, or a skate board to Ducati motor bikes, many users are flocking to Facebook groups set up to protest Facebooks advertising policy.
Since my relationship is not complicated, but private, and I’ve lied I’m really 99 years of age not 69, I was curious what ads FaceBook had for me, so I logged in.
While I may be scratching my head about the Mediation CD, there’s no prizes for guessing, Facebook Members have cause for complaint.
“The repeat Urine Offender?” ad is the outcome of recent conversations on my wall about road testing puppies for my grand daughter. During one puppy sitting the conversation actually did hit below the belt. I mentioned to a mate in the States, my entire apartment was lined with newspaper to catch the little offender doing the deed.
I was perplexed by “The Save on Car Insurance”, as I’ve never discussed driving, cars or related topics on my wall. HOWEVER, after checking my email, I didn’t have to go too far back to find emails from my son about a vehicle we share.
Which leads me to ask what other information does Facebook retrieve from our email? Credit card and bank account details or medicare information. Or do your ads reveal ill advised sexual conduct on email?
While I’m one of the biggest advocates of social networking, my advice is whether your online for personal or business, be aware, be smart and don’t over share.
It begs the question how does a girl go from drinking fresh roasted Italian Coffee to Michel’s Patisserie?
It was a Sunday morning walk, I was feeling energetic and walked further than my usual coffee stop at Belaroma. In no hurry, I was enjoying the sun, thinking of the future and unaware of the temptation lurking up ahead.
I’m not easily influenced by advertising, or sales men. In fact when my children were young I’d wait for a knock on the door from a vacuum cleaner sales man. Not that I didn’t have a vacuum cleaner, but busy mum that I was, my carpets always needed a quick clean.
Notwithstanding, no one was more surprised than me when I consciously allowed myself to be seduced by Michel’s Patisserie’s latest advertising. Added to which, I smiled with guilty pleasure as I drank a coffee I’d rank 6 out of 10 at a push.
I can count on one hand how many cups of Michel’s Patisserie I’ve drunk in my entire coffee drinking career. As far as coffee goes, this brand has never been on my radar, until now!
Michel’s Patisserie tag line should be “Michel’s Patisserie Coffee Is Ordinary, But The Sex Is Crafted To Perfection.”
If your tools are words, and your passion is writing, then chances are you’ll write your way into a very powerful position in your field.
According to Anthropologist Helen Fisher, women have become a powerful force in the business community.
Because of the unique way the female brain is connected, Helen call’s women web thinkers who process and communicate data quickly and creatively.
Consequently women have become an economic and business power with the capacity to work their way onto boards or positions of government.
While 54% of of American writers are women, Japanese and Indian women, while not moving as fast as their western counterparts, are dominating journalism.
Helen is quick to point out men can also be good communicators, as most of the geniuses in the world are men. Notwithstanding, her research shows the gap between men and women is closing.
In her TED Talk posted below she closes with the Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn quote “For a Country To have a great writer is to have another government.”
I hope you get as much out of Helen’s TED Talk as I have, indeed she is second to none in her field. But then she is a writer …
Applying basic principals of email ettiquette can save not only a lot of time, but your job.
The recent termination of a New Zealand Accountant, for always shouting at her colleagues via the use of capitals is a case in point.
She successfully sued her former employer for wrongful termination after being accused of creating ‘disharmony in the workplace” because of her use of capital letters in emails (the e-mail equivalent of shouting)
According to research from the University of Queensland, Australia, the leading cause of stress in the workplace is not the volume of email, but ambiguous language.
CNN’s Andrew Stevens says a basic misunderstanding of email etiquette contributes to work place communication break downs.
Firstly, he says you can tell what level a person is in the company by the type of emails they send. For example, Senior Executives write to the point emails like yes, no or confirmed, whereas Middle Management write longer emails designed to create favor and influence outcomes.
Lower rung employees write chatty emails, talk about activies outside work hours, and write on a more personal level.
With so much work conducted online with Virtual Assistants and via social networks, possessing a grasp of human behaviour, as well as email etiquette can advance your career.
DON’T put the senders email in until it’s ready to send
Because the save and send buttons are so close together, it’s a safe bet you can make the mistake of sending an unedited email, so DON’T put the senders email address in until it’s ready to send.
DON’T send emails while consuming alcohol
‘nuff said on that one.
DON’T over complicate your message
Keep It Simple Sweetie is a good rule of thumb in all communications, particularly in emails. The less said, the less likely you are to be misunderstood.
DON’T use too much humour
While I like to keep it light, I recognize in certain situations it’s not appropriate. Keep the knock knock jokes for the water cooler.
DON’T expect people to read between the lines.
When I worked in government I wrote press releases with spin and raised Ministerials with diplomacy. While I never lied, I understood the value of well chosen, ‘diplomatic dialogue.’ When email was introduced nuance and tone became critical, which I learned was difficult to transfer in an email.
While the New Zealand employee successfully sued her employer for wrongful dismissal, how much money could have been saved had the company the foresight to include email guidelines in a social media policy.
Finally, since Murphy’s Law often prevails, all company email policies should include the Irish quote “May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been, the foresight to know where you are going, and the insight to know when you have gone too far”
This weeks Featured Author is Founder Of Blue Collar University, Bart Gragg. Blue Collar University specializes in Management Training for Blue Collar Managers. Bart is a Consultant, Speaker, Trainer, Author and Mentor.
Let’s just be plain, old honest here. Blue collar workers and managers are the original and best social networkers you will ever come across. How can I say that when you rarely see them on Twitter, LinkedIn, etc? Because as I wrote in another article, the words ‘social’ and ‘networking’ are more meaningful than a place on the internet for people to meet. People use today’s version of social networking as a means to fish for business.
I agree with Rob Becker’s statement in “Defending the Caveman” – “Fishing was created by God because He needed something one step above doing nothing. It is also not cool for one guy to say to another “Wanna go sit down by the water and talk?”
What’s this got to do with blue collar people and today’s version of social networking? Plenty. Let’s just start with the fact that they are the best networkers around. They go fishing (read: talk to people) with no expectation of favors. They get things done when no one else can because they have those contacts. Who wouldn’t want their people to be more effective, productive and savvy about their work world? (‘K, yeah, I know there are those that don’t but forget about them…)
Here are just a few ways that social networking can help the blue collar worker or manager:
Finding more sources for material and services. Look at John Deere’s MachineFinder.com where farmers can not only look at videos of new and used equipment but begin to have a sense of community as they read about other working families and their history.
Connecting with others to find projects to bid on. Most of the major trades groups have websites now, including places to post upcoming projects and positions available. They are also places to stay current with news in their industry.
Connecting with others to find employment. Bill M., an out of work printing press operator, has to make a career change. He monitors Twitter, is on LinkedIn, and asks advice on how best to look professional as well as move into management.
Discussing solutions for problems others never even hear about. There are experiences, and solutions, that will never be documented by writing. Usually they are talked about over a beer, or at a barbecue. It’s a whole different ball game when you talk about intellectual capital. Can we create a community to share these ideas and capture this experience? I think we need to.
“So what?” you might say? “Everyone else does that anyway, no new news there!”
Two things – it IS news to THEM. Effectively implementing social networking for the blue collar worker and manager will drastically raise their credibility. It can also motivate them to be better at what they do. Let’s face it, how often do you see a nice clean cut professional photo of a blue collar person on LinkedIn? Suppose, along with that photo went a well written bio? While we are at it, suppose then their boss recommends them on LinkedIn? What if your boss recommended you to the world on Linkedin?
Bart Gragg comes from some of the toughest industries out there. He is the founder of Blue Collar UniversityÆ – It’s What’s Above The Collar That Counts! He is known as a ‘translator’ between white and blue collar as he has walked in both sets of shoes. He writes The Blue Collar Blog.
The Lehman Women 2009 is group of women who lost their jobs on Wall Street in September.
Lehman Brothers Former Managing Director and Chief Diversity Officer Ann Ernie has spent the last twelve months leveraging the value of Lehman Women on Wall Street by hosting women’s networking events through a group called Women’s Inititives in Leading Women (aka WILLpower)
Set up as a specific network for Lehman Women 2009, WILLpower went into overdrive after the crash and set up their own group on Linkedin.
Established as a centralized location where Lehman Women 2009 login to view job postings, networking events or collaborate with other women, WILLpower on Linkedin has helped over one hundred women find employment.
With over eight hundred members, one of WILLpower’s objective’s is to pay it forward. Members can ‘give back’ by mentoring younger women, getting involved in philanthropic work and focusing on women globally.
In addition to finding new employment opportunities, The Lehman Women 2009 have formed very deep professional and personal relationships.
While The Lehman Women 2009 are resourceful and renowned for their resilience, it’s also true Linkedin is known as the leading recruitment site that professionals and blue collar workers rely on for networking into new opportunities.
Next time you find yourself in a confusing situation, ask yourself how culture may be shaping your reactions, and try to see the world from the other point of view.
See it is an opportunity to learn new problem solving skills, and use the differences to challenge your own assumptions about the “right” way of doing things.
Culture is often at the root of communication challenges. Exploring historical experiences and the ways in which various cultural groups relate to each other is the key to opening channels for cross-cultural communication.
For instance, Anthropologists discovered that, when faced with an interaction we don’t understand, people have a tendency to interpret the others as “abnormal”, “weird” or “wrong.”
Notwithstanding, if we have an awareness cultural differences are at work we are well on the way to understanding each other and establishing a positive outcome.
Research show’s there’s a strong correlation between productivity and elements of trust, such as communication effectiveness, conflict management and rapport.
Since trust is built in different ways, and means different things in different cultures, we need to take cultural differences into account when building trust,
For instance, in the U.S.A you gain the trust of your colleagues by coming through and delivering on time on your commitments. In many other parts of the world, including many Arab, Asian and Latin American countries, building relationships is a prerequisite for professional interactions.
In these countries building trust often involves lengthy discussions on nonprofessional topics and shared meals in restaurants. Work-related discussions start only once your counterpart has become comfortable with you as a person.
Cultural differences in multicultural teams can create misunderstandings between team members before they have had a chance to establish any credibility with each other. Thus, building trust is a critical step in the creation and development of any team with more than two people from different cultural backgrounds.
Managers of a multicultural team fare better when they recognize that building trust between different people is a complex process.
While the social media revolution has granted us a world of exciting cross cultural opportunities, we do well to remind ourselves, without trust words are hollow, however with trust, words become life itself.
I am my own writer, I don’t use others to do my stuff , so while I’m on the road please understand I’m not being lazy, but do want to keep connected with my subscribers by providing helpful information.
For the most part I buy quality and enjoy dining when assured the food is fresh, the kitchen clean and staff helpful. When I receive good customer service I feel affirmed at a basic level as a human being.
That said, I’m willing to sacrifice a few creature comforts while on the road in the USA for the next three months. I figure pennies saved on a few necessities equals more dollars to spend on those Manolo Blahnik shoes.
The Holiday Inn Downtown Columbus mixed reviews didn’t faze me, as clearly the Hotel had underfone a recent facelift. I was a happy camper when I landed in a double suite for the price of one.
For the most part the Holiday Inn staff are helpful, service agreeable and amenities comparable. But even a heated pool couldn’t cool my ire after a series of slights from one particular night staffer, boiled over into a loud run in.
*no room at the inn to be left out in the cold*
Checking out in loud protest the next morning, I was ready to kick the Holiday Inn to the kerb. Hell hath no fury than a blogger offended, my campaign to send my blog link to every travel agent and Holiday Inn in sight was averted after the General Manager Tyson Schweitzer stepped up.
Using the occasion as an opportunity to turn a negative into a positive, Tyson not only provided me with two free nights at any Holiday Inn and their Associates, but put the Inn’s shuttle at my service for the remainder of my stay in Columbus (even if I had takenup lodgings with their competitor). A cute touch was was a little trick or treat goodies bag.
As a traveller in a foreign country I appreciated Tyson receiving the negative customer feedback as a positive. He not only turned the situation around to the satisfaction of both parties, but left no room at the inn for negative check outs.
As for me, I have two free nights accommodation in my pocket for emergencies, and an AMAZING deal on HOTWIRE with the Hyatt On Capital Square. Traveller Tip: Blessings speak with fork tongue at fork on the road of life.
The most significant addition to the social media family is the microblogging platform twitter. From small beginnings in 2006, twitter has become the pocket sized social media accessory for social networking addicts.
One might ask who is using the microblogging platform and from where and when do they tweet?
According to a September 2009 study from Retrevo found that among those under age 35, 39% of Twitter users and 27% of Facebook users checked the sites at least 10 times every day.
And twitter users were more likely than other social media users to feed their addiction from every location but school, including hotels, libraries, public transportation and restaurants.
56% tweet during work hours, 17% from the washroom or toilet, 11% while driving, 9% during class, 8% during live theatre performances and 3% tweet the word from Church.
As for my twitter addiction while on walkabout? Mine is satisfied with regular posts from the web when I can, however my lips are sealed. I don’t kiss and tweet, nor do I tweet from the bathroom, the echo from the cubicle is just too embarrassing.
The biggest thing when travelling for any length of time, is staying connected. If you’re like me and leave everything to the last minute, then quickly bookmark Wi_Fi Hotspot Locater because the first thing you will need when you land is a connection.
WiFiFreeSpot.com is a comprehensive list of 278,248 free and pay Wi-Fi locations in 140 countries.
Additionally, you can install and run a free program called SSIDer or NetStumbler that scans for available networks.
If connecting hotspots from your notebook is a problem, wireless range-extending antennas are readily available.
While travelling however, I’ve found my creativity has surged as a result of being less hooked up, it’s cheering to realise new opportunities and new content often only comes after we seriously unplug.
You should try it. Like fasting, the first three days are rough, but the realisation an unplugged life can be a more productive life is worth a few tremors.
She says as she returns to plotting her day around the hotspot route …
Fourth Avenue, New York (man reading at outdoor book stall)
This message is doing the rounds. Whether you use Facebook for personal or business, privacy is an issue of grave concern.
FB Privacy: Facebook will now automatically index all your info on Google, which allows everyone to view it. To change this option, go to Settings –> Privacy Settings –> Search –> then UN-CLICK the box that says ‘Allow indexing’. Copy and paste onto your status for all your friends ASAP.
Not everyone navigates facebook like a proam, so here’s a quick tutorial to help alleviate any unnecessary anxiety, but first let me get something off my chest.
Not only have the use of Social networking sites blurred the lines between not only what’s acceptable and appropriate disclosure, but seduced us into a false sense of security about our private lives. There is only one persona responsible for your privacy and THAT’S YOU!
Not only do I not have my personal address, phone number or marital status on any of my profiles, but I continually remind myself any information I post is forever recorded on the internet.
It has always been ever thus …
It’s only recently social networking sites are now are legally obliged to declare where your information is directed and how it’s used.
RANT OVER … now to adjusting YOUR settings:
When you click on Settings, click on Privacy which should look like this window. When you have that open click on Search
The search page looks like this, which you will note has a box to the right that is automatically ticked.
If you don’t want to be indexed, this is the box you need to untick.
What it should look like after the box is unticked. NOW SAVE YOUR NEW SETTING
A Florida mother has received an avalanche of sympathy and anger after tweeting about her dying son just 34 minutes after the 2-year-old boy was found in the bottom of her backyard pool.
“Please pray like never before,” blogger Shellie Ross typed Monday in a message to her Twitter followers. “my 2 yr old fell in the pool.”
Five hours later, Bryson Ross was pronounced dead at a local hospital, whereupon his mother once again updated her 5,000 followers with a photo of her smiling son on twitter.
Personal privacy is the issue of the moment as a result of recent changes to Facebook, whereby users information on their profiles can now be indexed by google. Added to which, the discussion around the pros and cons of revealing intimate details of our private lives on social networking sites is no less intense.
Notwithstanding, as a mother who found her nineteen year old son after he died during the night of cerebral aneurysm, I know from personal experience Shellie Ross is in shock. Shock is natures way of helping us transition a crisis, during which time our judgment is impaired. We behave as if nothing has happened. Whatever the discussion about social networking protocols, in my view Shellie was genuinley reaching out through a means that was immediately available.
Social networking sites are after all communities where, like a pepple thrown into a pond, our status updates can be more than keeping in touch, but a genuine cry for help, albeit with unexpected and far reaching consequences.
Since the death of my son Trevor, one of his brothers has struggled with his own issues in recovering, not least drug addiction. A nightmare which our family has suffered prior to his brothers death, and more so after.
There have been more nights than I care to recount where I’ve been tempted to unburden an aching heart on a status update. But all the status updates in the world won’t bring my son back, help my son through rehab, or sooth an aching heart.
My heart felt condolences are extended to Shellie Ross, as well as a glimpse into my own story as a show of genuine internet support for little Bryson Ross’ family.
NB:The lead investigator in the drowning death of 2-year-old Bryson Ross said his mother’s involvement with online social media did not cause her son’s death.
“Her tweeting had nothing to do with what happened with regard to her son,” said Brevard County Sheriff’s Homicide Agent Joe Martin. “It was an accident.”
Martin said the investigation is still open but no charges will be filed in the case.
It’s official; when the clock struck twelve at the close of 1999 we didn’t all turn into pumpkins. The question remains, digital deadline or social media revolution?
As it turned out it wasn’t the global electronic systems that collapsed, but cultural and social barriers. A changing of the guard that’s become known the social media revolution. A change as unprecedented as the industrial revolution at the turn of the Century.
A Digital Decade in review:
1999 -Y2K
2000 – NAPSTER
Napster democratized the internet. Within nine months and without any advertising, Napster secured over 20 million users and paved the way for a myriad of file sharing start-ups.
Consequently Napster faced the music with Congress in the courts, hammering out copyright issues and definitions of sharing vs stealing. A debate which continues on all sides of the economic and cultural divide.
2001 – APPLE iPOD
Music officially became a free for all with the release of the Apple iPod. The size of a cigarette packet, iPods have become as ubiquitous as Apple’s iPhone.
This clip is a historical presentation by Steve Jacobs at an Apple Music Event in 2001 when the iPod was launched.
2002 -SMART PHONE
Surfing the web and sending email was made possible from anywhere and any time of day with the introduction of the T-Mobile Sidekick.
Wireless hot spots in coffee shops, airports and public spaces gave new meaning to accessible communication.
2003 – SKYPE
The connected generation gained access to free international phone calls on personal computers via Skype. You no longer needed to be hooked up to a land line, or a desk top.
A Skype call only needs a laptop and nearest WiFi Hot Spot.
2004 -BLOGS
Blogs hit the air waves when Delta flight attendant Ellen Simonetti lost her job after posting pictures of herself, in uniform, on a personal blog. Subsequently, Ellen was fired and was successfully reinstated after taking Delta to court.
Everyone from porn stars to prospective Governors now keep the news wire alive with titillating and news worthy content.
On the internet content is king and conversation is queen, however for marketers the challenge is on. With millions of consumers producing their own content, it’s not content that’s in short supply but attention.
The downside of the the prolific use of social media and social networking sites is we now live in an age of distraction.
2005 – YOUTUBE
From dancing babies to Filipino inmates performing a Michael Jackson Tribute, Youtube has become mainstream entertainment since it’s launch in 2005.
The most viewed YouTube video goes to improbable singing sensation Susan Boyle.
2006 – MYSPACE
At a rate of over 250,000 new members a day Myspace made perfect sense for emerging artists in search of fame and infamy. Members share content and media with friends and third-party sites like YouTube and photobucket.
Myspace most memorable moment was the organazation of the Largest Philanthropic Program to raise awareness and funds for the Dafur region of western Sudan.
2007 – APPLE iPHONE
The release of Apple’s iPhone provided users with new touch screen communication tools. Fuelling our addiction to updates from what we’ve had for breakfast, to what we’re thinking from the bathroom to the boardroom.
Adding insult to old media injury, the instant upload of photos from the iPhone to social networking sites like twitter, where often picked up before traditional media.
A case in point being the rapid-fire spread of a close-up photo of the US Airways plane that crashed in the Hudson River. A photo that was taken and uploaded by an eye witness within minutes of the accident, faster than any syndicated reporter could hope to cover the event.
2008 – FACEBOOK
Facebook trumps myspace as the leading social networking site, changing the way we relate. Prince Harry hit the news as officially dumped when girlfriend Chelsea changed her status from ‘in a relationship’ to ‘single’.
2009 – TWITTER
Microblogging site Twitter proved itself as a powerful tool during Iran’s violent and contentious presidential election, after which followed a government crackdown on Web and media access.
Critics of the microblogging service continue to argue the merits of sharing everything from what we ate for lunch, to our prospects with the hottie sitting beside us in the local bar.
Notwithstanding, the close of 2009 is not without one of the most unthinkable cultural and political events in history. The Election of a Black American to the Oval Office in the White House.
Accordingly, the President claims a major reason of his success, was the mobilization of social media by volunteers within every state of the USA.
Who’d have envisioned at the end of 1999 consumers would become mass publishers and distributors of messages that’s reverberate to the highest office in the land.
Your prediction for the next decade? Feel free to muse out loud to yourself …
I confess, my RSS Google Reader feels more like a bourgeoning wheelbarrow that’s become too awkward to maneuver. 
Social media is relational. Relationships with customers, relationships with clients, relationships with regulators and shareholders. Policies need to enhance not stifle company culture, so keep policies customer focused.
Unlocking creative thinking skills to generate and implement unique ideas is Yvonne Adele’s business. Formerly known as the technology expert Ms Megabyte, Yvonne birthed 
The 
The Lehman Women 2009 is group of women who lost their jobs on Wall Street in September.
