My screen time has made me more social, not less

I’ve met a ton of people from online in “real life”One of my biggest pet peeves is that people think that all real life personal connections have been lost with the advent of new online social channels.  They believe that mass numbers simply hide behind a screen constantly, becoming anti-social.

While I will fully admit that most people are spending more time in front of a screen, I want to scream the following from the rooftops:

Social media builds relationships, it doesn’t remove the need for them! 

Online to offline

Twitter is especially amazing for this, as are Facebook (or LinkedIn or Google+) groups.  You meet new people, you have conversations about the subjects you have in common and then, whenever possible, you bring those relationships offline and build on them. 

Karen and I met on Twitter.

My core group of friends that I hang out with, I met on Twitter/online.

My kids’ friends are the kids of the people I met on Twitter/online.

Many of our current clients met us online.

People are eager to bring the relationship offline, and also maintain it offline. 

Offline to online

Whenever I meet someone “in real life”, at a conference, at a meeting, at a networking event, etc., I like to connect with them online later.  Perhaps we connect on LinkedIn, or I tweet them, or I friend them on Facebook. 

What could have been a really superficial meeting at a networking event just got taken to the next level of a relationship within the same day or two. What would have happened before? Perhaps an email would have been sent, or you would have waited until you ran into each other at a networking event and possibly remembered you met each other before.  

You are keeping top of mind on a regular basis with people you met in person by continuing that relationship online.

Communities of support

Whether I started a relationship online or offline, the online community I’ve built for myself supports in me in almost every part of my life.  Whether I have a business question or a parenting question, I know where I can go and ask people I trust for the answer.

I’ve never felt so connected to others in my life.

Has social media helped build your community?  Leave a comment and share how!

Twitter really is a lot like the radio

I’m driving a different car these days. My borrowed car is low tech and forces me to listen to the radio *gasp* if I want to listen to anything on my commute. I’m used to plugging in my iPod and listening to what I want, when I want. I can rewind, fast forward and skip around to my little heart’s content.

But in rediscovering the radio, I’m practicing my listening and observing skills in a different way. 

The funny thing is that old media meets new media in a really interesting way because the radio reminds me so much of Twitter!

1) They promote.

Some stations (accounts) run promotions - whether it’s their content or advertising from other businesses. 

2) They have conversations.

Think about morning DJs that banter through the rush hour traffic between commercials, news and music. The social aspect of these discussions starts in the studio and extends outwards to callers who join in. (Sounds an awful lot like people who jump in on Twitter.)

3) They share.

It’s balanced sharing, too - human interest stories, community events, news, and all sorts of other really great content that the audience might find interesting or - even better - want to hear and know about.

4) They inspire action.

I think what I like best about listening to radio is hearing really creative commercials. There’s the usual car dealership commercials that sound the same as they’ve sounded my entire life, but other businesses are getting really creative and clever. It worked, too! I was interested in going to a couple of businesses I hadn’t previously even heard of. 

Radio is a finite interaction.

Lara has used this analogy of “Twitter is like a radio” for a long time. It helps newer users understand that they don’t have to read every tweet sent when they weren’t logged in and it’s true. Radio doesn’t allow you to pause, fast forward, or rewind - a lot like Twitter. 

However, there’s a difference with interactions. Radio is primarily one-sided and finite. You turn it off and you can’t go back and listen to what you’ve missed later.

Twitter allows you to come and go, picking up the thread of conversations as you have time. BUT you don’t have to read through everything that everyone you’re following has said while you’re logged out. And thank goodness for that, because that would be incredibly overwhelming. 

The bottom line is that old media and new media influence each other. You can find inspiration from one that can be used successfully with the other. The most important thing is to evolve and be creative. Find unique ways to grab your audience’s attention. 

5 things to look for in a social media manager

Small businesses can benefit immensely from hiring someone to help with their social media. It doesn’t even have to be a full-time staff member, which is good since few small businesses can afford a designated position. There are many freelancers who enjoy this kind of work and it’s easily done remotely. But before you make the hire, here are some things you should look for in the candidates who’ve applied:

1) Writing ability

When you’re developing content, writing ability is essential. Not only that, but you want someone whose style is consistent with your business brand. Formal, journalistic writing for a children’s store isn’t going to go over well. On the other hand, cheerful, slang-ridden banter isn’t going to work in a professional services firm. You can ask for writing samples, but don’t forget to check out candidates’ public social media accounts. This will provide a good idea of how they interact on social channels. Don’t forget to ask what other accounts they’re managing - especially if it’s related businesses.

2) Content curation

Content marketing isn’t about sharing 100% of your own content. If it was, no one would follow businesses because they’d be too boring with all their sales content. The candidate you hire should have creative ideas of how to curate content that is appropriate for your brand and audience. Whether it’s curated news pieces, photos, cartoons or blog posts, they need to have a talent for finding relevant, interesting information that fits your brand.

3) Understanding of the tools

Your social media manager should be able to use the tools (obviously), but they need to have an interest in them, too. I know one SM manager who doesn’t want to have a Facebook account for personal reasons that are totally understandable. However, they have a profile and know how it works and are interested in the capabilities that Facebook has as a tool. If your SM manager isn’t interested in the tools they’re using, they may not be able to effectively represent you. That leads me to my next crucial ability:

4) Stays current with changes

We all know continuing education is important. Social media managers’ CE comes from staying up-to-date on the major changes that happen so frequently with the social networks in their portfolio. Whether it’s changes to the terms of service, functionality or features, it’s essential to know what’s happening. This keeps your business protected from inadvertently going against terms of service that can endanger your account status.

5) Respect for intellectual property

Intellectual Property (IP) rights are abused on the Internet on a regular basis. A basic understanding of ownership, right to use/copy/distribute, and how to give proper attribution is important to keep your business safe from gaining a bad reputation or worse, getting sued. It’s also good for them to know steps to take to prevent your content from being stolen.

One last important thing: Community builder

The whole point of using social media is to build a community in support of your business. If the person you hire to help you doesn’t know how to build community or doesn’t have a friendly, sociable personality, it could completely undermine your efforts in social media - even if every other box is checked. Those other boxes are primarily technical. However, not everyone has the personality or desire to build community, so finding someone who already has an active community around them is a big clue that they are capable.

While it’s often a good idea (and quite affordable) for some business owners to get some help with social media channels, be sure you’re aware of what’s happening and chime in with your own voice from time to time. Ultimately, it’s you - the business owner - that your community wants to hear from. No one can deliver the message about the business you’ve built quite the same way!

What other tips would you add for someone looking to hire a social media manager?

Jump in, interrupt, bite the bullet and chat with me!

Image Source: MorguefileI was having lunch with my friend, Kim, yesterday. She came to Ottawa ALL the way from Winnipeg to attend Social Capital Conference last weekend. (How cool is that?) We got to chatting about Twitter, because we often do since that’s where we met. Kim made an observation about some twitter users that I’ve noticed as well: when “butting in” to a conversation, many preface their comments with an apology for doing so. I’ve done it before, too. I’ll likely do it again without thinking.

It’s hard to reverse the social rules we’ve been brought up to respect. When conversing face-to-face, interrupting is a no-no (and I am guilty of that one, too). 

However, Twitter etiquette gives us greater leeway. That’s one of the reasons I like the “semi-private” nature of tweets. By that, I mean that if Lara and I are having a public conversation, anyone who follows both of us can see the conversation in their timeline. However, if someone is only following one of us (it happens), they won’t see the conversation, even though our tweets are public. 

I really like that this gives the opportunity to jump in to conversations between other people. In fact, “interrupting” is not only acceptable, it’s a great way to get to know new people - and it’s encouraged! 

Lara has written about the networking event that is Twitter before. The value of networking on Twitter is in jumping in to conversations! So, be brave and jump in without apology. It really is unnecessary. Lara likes to call Twitter a big networking event. I like to call it the world’s biggest chat room and 17 years ago when I entered my first chat room, I jumped right in to the conversation. 

You can too and I promise you’ll be glad you did. 

Yes, even business owners - provided you’re being social on the networks you use. (Please be social…we can talk about that another day, though.) We have some case studies we’ll be sharing over the next few months that will show you how beneficial the social aspect of social media can be to your bottom line. 

So, please jump in, interrupt, bite the bullet and chat with people…including me and Lara!

Social Capital Conference: lessons learned

This past weekend was a pretty busy one around here. On Friday and Saturday, people from all over gathered for Social Capital Conference, an incredible social media learn-a-thon. For those lucky enough to attend, you probably left with your head spinning, trying to process all the valuable information that was imparted over the two days of workshops, conferences and round-tables. For those of you who couldn’t make it, here are a few takeaways that pretty much sum up the weekend:

Video Rocks

Admittedly, video scares the crap out of most people. At Social Capital Conference, Anthony Wong taught us that not only is video easy to do, it’s also fun and really, really effective at getting your point across. Not only can you can shoot, edit and publish video all from your iPhone or iPad but there are apps out there that take the guess work out of creating fun, effective messages that everyone will love.

Lara took the iPhone video workshop - here’s the video she created entirely on her iPhone during the workshop.

There’s No Such Thing As An Overnight Success

Many start to use social media because they think it’s free and easy and you can get 10,000 in a week. In her amazing and inspiring Keynote address, Gini Dietrich shared the ups and downs of how to use content and interaction to build a community and that nothing really comes easy (although it can be pretty fun along the way).

Don’t Forget The Secret Sauce

Remember when you were 5 and getting a sticker for good work was the bomb? People haven’t changed. They still like to be acknowledged and made to feel special. By responding, engaging, interacting, rewarding and basically stroking people’s ego’s you will keep your audience coming back again and again.

Be Human

The message of the weekend was definitely to Be Human. People are online to feel like they are a part of something. Call it engagement, call it interaction but basically, the way to grow your audience is to be yourself.  When you talk to people online, use their names, respond to comments and reply to questions. By using all the common sense, offline business world strategies in your online world, you will, with time and effort, grow your online community and create something that you can be proud of.

Now go forth and be social and hope to see you at Social Capital 2014!  If you were there, share your best takeaway in the comments!