Social Media “Think”

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We've seen so many celebrities get into hot water with their babbling, or is it blabbing? Our fingers can react, type and swipe faster than our brains sometimes, or so it seems. And while many folks in the entertainment industry use social media for sounding off, us folks with small businesses really have to put a little planning into what we’re projecting.

Yes, you’re a brand just like they are and that’s whether you’re on a social network just chatting with friends, networking, or representing a business. However, those celebrities are established brands. The adoring public will forgive them; how many times have we said “yeah, it’s okay; we still love you” to Alec Baldwin?

Remember, social networks are public forums.

Twitter is the most notorious of all of course, it’s 100% public (except for DMs) LinkedIn is public as well. You DO have flexibility with Facebook and Google+ regarding how widespread your posts are. When I say public, I’m referring to the millions who are members of a particular network.

And how many IS that*? For Twitter, 300 million +, LinkedIn 135 million, 800 million + for Facebook and Google+ is at 62 million and rising fast!
Here’s a little example of something that made me cringe. It’s no longer on my Facebook wall and could only be seen by my friends (thankfully). Chances are that 100 people may have read it before I deleted it (we’ll call my friend Ginger for this exercise):

GINGER:
Hi there!
So are you here in town? If so could you drop over?
GL


ME: Hi Ginger, not there at the moment. I'll message you with my plans! (Soon after I responded, lost track of time while nursing a headache. Yes, my bad!)


...sometime later...


GINGER: So where r u ? No one keeps keeps their word anymore. Just put my books in mailbox


ME (ZING! Now realizing my mistake): On my way now…

Dropping by, I learned that my friend had recently been ripped off by a car dealer and was not a happy camper! I explained that I wasn’t feeling well and had curled up into a ball (true). She gave me instant coffee which helped my headache. We’re okay now!

What’s the point here? Our words can be misunderstood. Our words ARE coming from somewhere; there’s usually a reason for them. However, despite our rationale, speaking in a public forum requires thought. Just like when we are speaking to someone vocally.

My reaction could have been negative towards her words. I may have become angry and possibly unfriended her (I’m not like that).

Though this example is more of a personal nature, imagine that you’re posting as a representative of a business. A few suggestions:

• Always remain cheerful and positive, even when responding to negativity.

• Reread your post or tweet before sharing it; read it out loud if you can.

• Try not to respond or post when you’re in a bad mood.

• When responding to an extremely negative post, don’t reply right away. Let it cool.

• Stay within your brand’s culture.

Sure, it sounds like common sense; however, you do need to remind yourself from time to time that whatever you say will be seen. We all tend to get a little lax and let things slip and slide a bit. Let this advice serve as a friendly, positive reinforcement.

Think before you post.

Alec, are you reading this?

References for stats: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+

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Can Blogs Become Habit Forming? An Experiment. Part 1.

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Recently read an article that had some great ideas on how to be a better blogger. Of course, I forgot to bookmark it. And you know how you never recall everything you read. Luckily, one of the ideas discussed in the article stuck in my head. The author noted that in a mere thirty days, one can improve their writing skills by writing 1,000 words a day. When all is said and done, look back at what you’ve written after a month and marvel at your own self improvement.

Sounds simple enough, right? Okay, I’ll bite.

So, on August 12, I began. Started out writing two articles with pretty darn snappy titles: “Corned Beef Hashtag*” and “Pardon me, YOUR’E Grammar is Showing*” (yes, I know this is the incorrect use of your/you’re here; it’s on purpose). The writing didn’t commence until late in the day; a pesky little thing called procrastination continued to wreak havoc with my good intentions. Pounded out about 500 words in about 30 minutes. Yes! Certainly deserved a break after all that. Snack time! Stood up. Walked away. Came back a short time later. 259 more words tumbled out.

Then I took a look at both articles. The grammar piece was downright horrible. It was almost boiling in tone, nearly telling people to go out and purchase Grammar for Dummies (if there IS such a thing). If there’s a tasteful way to approach the subject of horrendous misuses of grammar with out being preachy, then perhaps that article will someday come to light. But not without a complete redo.

Now, the other entry related to hashtags has some potential. The writing there was much more informative. And, it appears to be a subject that deserves to be explained and poked fun at a bit too. After all, how many times have you seen hashtags on Facebook postings? You do know that there is no such animal on Facebook?

Okay, so maybe half of what I wrote on the first 1,000 words day is usable. Will I be able to say that what I write is of higher quality, has the level of meaning and touches of humor that I strive to inject into each and every offering, and is interesting enough to be read by the masses at the end of this thirty day experiment? Sure hope so.

And now for the bad news. Day two. And how many words were written? Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Oops. Well, they do say it takes thirty days to develop a habit, right? But wait; it’s supposed to be continuous, no? Can I have a mulligan? Thank you. So now, officially, August 14 becomes day one. A new beginning!

For the record, the new day one = 1,037 words. And, according to my rules, it’s okay to go over.

* The author reserves the right to the use of “Corned Beef Hashtag” and “Pardon me, YOU’RE Grammar is Showing”. Those WILL be completed and posted here on this blog. Soon.

Do you Lament the Lack of a Facebook “Dislike” Button?

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I recently posted a link to a song I enjoy listening to on my Facebook profile. Some conversational posting ensued; apparently I have friends that share my “good” taste. The postings then gravitated into a few jokes regarding an opening band at a show I attended with friends on Saturday night.

So, when I saw the posting that merely said “NOOOOOOOOOO”, I assumed my friend didn’t like my song choice. Actually, that wasn’t it at all. Turns out it was about the anticipated dread of the opening band’s videos on YouTube, which, thankfully, hasn’t happened yet.

But this did get my brain thinking to how many times I’ve seen friends complain about the lack of a “dislike” button and then going on to join a group supporting such a function. And, yes, one can certainly argue this dilemma either way. No need to turn blue in the face though. And no, the issue isn’t anything new, since the “like” feature for posts has been around for quite a while now.

So, what to do if you really DO “dislike” something? Well, you could just ignore it. Posts will continue to appear, and this one will get buried in the stream before long. But what if you’re really compelled to say something. So, post. Go ahead. Post your opinion. It’s okay. Not everyone expects you to “like” everything; who does? Now, here’s an opportunity to be creative. Offer an alternative, a solution, a new way to look at a situation, or an idea. Build upon that post, and take it a step further, encouraging further engagement in a lively way. Friendly debate IS okay!

So what does Facebook have to say about this subject? Well, nothing. They DO tell you how to “unlike” something by clicking again on the like button, but nothing about “dislike”. And, unsurprisingly, a quick search in Facebook yields a few hundred pages that you can join to support the cause for a “dislike” button. One of the most original ones is named “We ask for a "Dislike" button and you replace "Become a Fan" with "Like". We ask for "Become a Fan" back... You give us "Like this Comment" -_-" Thank you facebook.” Whew. What a mouthful.

And, for those of you that MUST have it, there’s a Firefox plug-in offers the capability of disliking to your heart’s content.

And for me, personally? I’ll say to you, in my best Jersey accent “Dislike button… fugetaboutit”. Really! Who needs it?

Who Says Social Media Doesn’t Bring Instant Results?

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A friend of mine on Facebook (let’s call him Sandy) is somewhat green about social media. He never realized that all of his personal information was available for anyone on Facebook to see. That actually proved to be a boon for him.

Sandy recently “liked” an independent movie fan page. He is one of a small handful of people who have shown interest for that page. The creator happened to be seeking some specific services, and apparently started her search by investigating those “likers.” She found Sandy, who has a company in the industry that could provide the services, and sent Sandy a message on Facebook. In that message, she stated that she had researched him prior to contact. The contact could prove fruitful for Sandy; they are meeting next week to discuss a potential project.

Oh, and I assisted Sandy in making some improvements to his settings. After a brief discussion, we both agreed that his info page should remain public, with some data removed and some freshened. However, his wall is now visible only to his friends.

Okay, while this fantastic result took about three weeks, which is pretty fast, how ‘bout an example with mere hours?
A gentleman posted on a LinkedIn group that a friend (let’s call him Sam) is also a member of. The post was made late at night: “Looking for someone to do some XXXX XXXX work. Any recommendations?” Yes, the post was that short!
Sam has a presence on several social media sites and is still a bit of a newbie as far as establishing himself in this medium. He does have a completed profile on LinkedIn. Sam happens to be a very early riser and was up at 4AM. He logged in to LinkedIn and started catching up on some of the groups he belongs to. Sam saw the post and was the FIRST to reply, resulting in getting the work! Yes, the early bird DOES catch the worm. Indeed.

These two gents had never met but had a common bond via a group on LinkedIn. Through the mutual interests and membership of that group an instant business relationship was formed. What’s next? Services are performed. Money passes hands. Perhaps repeat businesses. Recommendations are given.

I’ve often told perspective clients that Social Media is a medium that one needs to nurture before results start happening. Perhaps I’ve been selling it short! I’ll still stand by my position stressing that by displaying expertise, engaging people, and demonstrating passionate involvement over time will produce the results you’re looking for. However, even if you are fairly new to social media, provided that your profile information is filled out so that people can learn about you, expect the unexpected. People are out there. And they are looking, all the time. Be ready for them!

Do you have to “like” a Facebook Page about Ninja Turtles?

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Do you get suggestions to join pages all the time? I sure do. From my friends of course. And I’ll be honest, some of those pages hold little interest for me. But, what the heck, I join most of them anyway. Why? Well, at best, even if I’m not an active participant, at least I’m helping a legit business grow their fan base. And it’s endorsed by a friend.

So what do you do when you get a suggestion to “like” a page? Number one, simply go ahead and like it. Two, ignore the suggestion. Forever. Perhaps the friend won’t notice. However, the friend WILL notice if you do join, plus you’ll make them feel good.

But what happens when you join something you don’t actually like. Ninja Turtles? Are you kidding me? Ok, perhaps my friend is a few years younger than me, grew up with Ninja Turtles and I want to humor her. The good news is you don’t have to look at the posts. Just hide them. Simple.

Then there’s the "sneaky" way out. This is a soft approach for all of you out there that don’t want Ninja Turtles listed in your profile as a page you’ve joined. Let’s say the Ninja Turtles page has over 6,000 “likers”. Go ahead and “like”. Wait a couple of weeks and "unlike". Go ahead, you can do it. What’s the likelihood they’ll notice that you’re one of 6,000+ that is no longer there. Pretty minimal. Don’t even think about trying this with a page with a small number of likers. You’ll probably get caught by your friend, and suffer the consequences. Boo hoo.

Before you say no, DO give the page a chance. At least take a look at what it’s about, the quality of the posts, and whether it’s truly engaging. You may discover something new. And realize that your Facebook friend has interests you never knew about. How cool is that?

And remember, suggesting to a friend to like a Facebook page is a two-way street. Think about who you are sending the suggestion to before you send. Is it something they might be interested in, or perhaps already have an interest in? Recently, I was invited to like a page about a movie with breast cancer as the theme. Indeed, I liked. In turn, I sent suggestions to a few female friends, some of whom are survivors. The response was overwhelming because I carefully picked friends who would be more likely to see this movie when it’s released. Makes sense, no?