Social Media, Creativity, and You.

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Turquoise Flowerpots

Google+, as of this writing, has hit about 90 million with around two-thirds active on the social network. That’s a far cry from the membership of that monster we all know as Facebook, with over 800 million.

Let’s keep in mind that the dynamics of Google+ are much different from Facebook, so should we even be comparing? There seems to be all manners of ways to bring together people on Google+ that just don’t exist on Facebook.

Like this:

Towards the end of the year, I received a shared message on Google+ regarding a photography project. There are several of these projects out there going strong; the one I was notified about and ultimately jumped into is called the Creative 366 Project.

The “rules” are simple. Take a photo every day in 2012. Post the photo, use the hashtag #creative366project, include +creative366project in the commentary for the post, and tag Creative 366 Project. If you can’t load the photo up on that day, it’s okay, upload it tomorrow.

Walmart Ladies Room

The important aspect is to take a photo EVERY day. There isn’t a selling or marketing motive behind it, however, professional photographers and artists will ultimately benefit as more eyeballs will have an opportunity to see their work as the project grows via the  sharing of photos.

The results so far? A mind blowing display of creativity; some are great beginner photographers, while others are more seasoned. This is a lot more exciting than Facebook where the norm is share after share of an animal in a compromising position with a caption saying something silly. Not only that, a quick search revealed that projects like this just don’t exist on Facebook. How could they? Facebook doesn’t have the easy “share-a-bility” in place that Google+ does.

The project brings us sunsets, sunrises, trees, flowers…okay, some of the usual. However, there's a lot of out of the box thinking as folks explore everyday life and objects. A photo of a turquoise house generated quite a bit of conversation. Some examples of the comments include:

“That's an old house. Look at the cellar.”

“Reminds me of the house I grew up...similar shape, but wasn't turquoise!”

From the gent who took the photo: “I was hoping someone would notice the cellar. I wanted to take this picture yesterday, but I did not have my phone or a camera. The sun was not out today. Darn it!”

The commenting did drift and turn towards business page issues between me and the photo taker. Ultimately, he circled both my business pages, we circled each other, and a new friendship was born. Nice!

A third person jumped in and was very helpful as the conversation further expanded, this time to the quirkiness of Chrome. She was not part of the Creative 366 Project; however, she does post a lot of interesting information about technical issues. Boom. Another circling!

Mid-century modern chair

Now this project just oozes with the essence of social media: Sharing, lively dialog, creative expression, people coming together, making the acquaintance of others. You get the point.

You're probably wondering why I decided to participate? Three reasons:

#1 The opportunity to share my creativity with others for the sheer enjoyment of it.
#2 Allowing greater exposure for my Groovy Reflections endeavor. This is where I post the photos.
#3 Having a record of my growth as a beginner photographer (I take 50 to 400+ photos a day, then choose ONE.)

Thank you Google+ for designing such a fine platform.

I can’t wait to see other interesting methods of engagement emerging in the future; can you? What heights can social media soar to?

Come fly with me! 

The photos in this post are my Creative 366 Project entries from Day 9, 8, 12, and 21.

Straight from the Bottle: Your LinkedIn Profile Photo

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Decisions, decisions…which photo to use for your profile? Hmmm…perhaps that photo where you’re sipping a cosmo? Yeah, you looked happy in that one with that big smile. Or how about the one where you’re holding a rare bottle of merlot?

Sounds funny but both the examples above are real. But here’s the kicker; both photos appeared on LinkedIn. Thankfully, those pics are long gone. And no, I haven’t seen any profile pictures where beer is being guzzled from the bottle but I’m sure they’re out there!

Now, what did these photos tell us about those two people? The cosmopolitan drinker, an administrative assistant, had a carefree look on her face. It may not have been her first cosmo.

Would you hire her? She was job hunting when that photo was up.

The second, a President of a small company holding a wine bottle, signifies that he’s an aficionado; however, it may also be suggesting what happens after 5PM.

Unless you are a part of the wine or alcohol industry, it’s not a good idea to be associated with these beverages in a professional setting. Why even open up that can of worms?
Other faux pas?

• Using a photo of someone else. I've seen George Washington. On LinkedIn.
• A photo of your child, you as a cute kid, you with a cute kid. No. No. No.
• Smoking. Anything. It’s a turn off for people that don’t participate in that habit.
• Cleavage. If you’re not a pole dancer, cover it up.
• Inappropriate clothing. Leopard and sequins won’t work here.
• Scenery. This worked when Nissan launched Infiniti; remember the trees?
• A photo of a pet. Trainers, groomers, have one with YOU and the pet.
• Fuzzy photos. Not impressive.
• Messy hair. Wash, blow dry, comb it, style it.

You get the idea.

Here’s the professional skinny:

DO have a photo on LinkedIn. Of YOU. Make sure it’s crisp and professional looking.  If you can swing a professional photo, go for it. It’s best for guys to wear a button down shirt with a collar; however, clothing should be aligned with your type of work. If you wear a uniform of some sort, wear it in the photo.  And I’m not going to push the tie thing since our world has become so casual. Concentrate on neatness.  The photo should be fairly recent, not from twenty years ago.

To the folks with gray hair: If you’re out and about and people are seeing you in public, what’s the difference? And while it’s always possible that a potential employer will discriminate once they see you, did you really want to work for a company with an attitude like that anyway? Gray hair is plentiful in today’s society: Grace Slick, George Clooney, Richard Gere, Paula Dean, etc.

If you’re on other social networks (yes, that’s likely) try to be consistent across social networks. This will help you recognize people across various platforms.

For Facebook, it really depends on how you use your personal page; if it’s masquerading as a business page*, then you do have to keep it professional. If you use it for personal reasons, heck, have fun. To maintain your professionalism, consider changing your settings so you’re a bit harder to search for.  For example, you can set up search so that only friends or friends of friends can search and find you, which means the recruiter or potential employer won’t find you but people who may know you on a more casual level will.

A good photo can reflect a little of your personality.  If you’re a fan of Pablo Picasso and you have a tie with his artwork on it, sure, wear it. It’s projecting YOU without screaming from the mountaintops. At the bottom of your LinkedIn profile, mention your love of contemporary art to “tie” it in. Then people learn a little bit about you.

After all, it is about YOU and how you project YOU to others. Preferably, your choice will be "bottleless".

Note: There ARE exceptions to every rule; do feel free to let me know about your thoughts.


* If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know how I feel about using a personal profile as a business page on Facebook. If you don’t know, click here to see why you need a business page.

Make me smile and follow, like, and circle me! You'll smile too. I promise.