What I am Reading RIGHT NOW!
It has been an extremely busy time around the office of Brandswag Corp. I have unfortunately not been able to contribute to my blog in the way I would like and I haven’t been getting on FriendFeed (the biggest sin of all).
I thought I would post a couple links of people I have been reading recently which I find extremely interesting. Their point of view on social media is deep and crosses all points of the model.
Andy DeSoto: The Social Tug of War:
Best Line from the post: “…the unfortunate truth is that online social media pulls us away from being truly social, and in this game of tug of war, the only loser is often ourselves.”
Best Line from the post: “I prefer a business model where the user gets value, and you monetize on that value.
Brady Wood: People Matter: Manage Knowing This
Best Line from the post: “I know we are in a new age, however nothing can replace a top executives face to face acknowledgment, or encouragement, and coaching.”
Erik Deckers: Politics Make Loud Bedfellows
Best line from the post: “Really?” I thought. “You’re college educated and presumably informed about state politics, and all you got is ‘haircuts?’ What’s next, a shot about her shoes?”
Corvida: Twitter ReDesign Finally Goes Live
Best Line from the post: FYI: TechCrunch copied and pasted practically my entire post about this. (FYI I love Crovida)
So there is a quick look at what I have been reading today. If you haven’t subscribed to the people listed above I suggest you do… and STAT!
Have a great Friday and an amazing weekend!
Week 1: Social Media Mission: James Paden
It is now time for the first installment of the Social Media Mission 2008. I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow Hoosier here in Indianapolis named James Paden. I met James on Twitter.
What do you love about social media?
I don’t know if I love social media at the moment. I read a lot of blogs from time to time but I haven’t, until recently, tried to do any online networking. I’ve always been busy. Twitter has gotten the best of me lately and I have been pleasantly surprised by the affect that it has had, meeting new people and networking.
I have been a big believer in LinkedIN (James’ profile) for a long time.
Why are you big believer in LinkedIN?
I see the value of having a business focused network rather than having the typical Facebook and Myspace friends. I am very much a business oriented type of guy. It allows me to reach people that I wouldn’t be able to reach normally. I really appreciate the questions and answers section.
How long have you been on Twitter?
I have been actively twittering for about 3 weeks.
Okay, so, you don’t know whether you love social media. What is one thing you love about the Internet?
I love building websites. I love creating small business. I have an entrepreneurial mentality. It is fairly easy to be able to take an idea and transfer it into the Internet world. That is what I love.
What do you love about building websites?
I love creating things. As a kid, my group of friends always loved to play in the make believe world. Using GI Joes or any other type of imaginary game (ie. cops and robbers). When we played Lego, my siblings would always just play with the toys. I always focused on building something. I love to build by nature, creating things from scratch is a passion of mine.
How much time do you spend on the Internet daily?
I sleep for eight hours.
So that means you spend around 15 hours on the Internet? What the heck do you on the Internet for 15 hours?
I get up in the morning and go to work. I am a lead developer for a network of e-commerce websites. I will spend eight to nine hours at work. I will go home and have a quick supper and work on either my freelance client’s websites or my web designers directoy.
Let me stop you. Tell me about this web designers directory.
The web designers directory grew out of my freelance web design companies website. In late 2005, my search engine ranking had grown to the point where I thought I could profit more from referring visitors to other designers and their website rather than just working as a freelancers.
I am really trying to focus on becoming involved in social networking to connecting with designers and web programmers to further my visibility in LinkedIN, Twitter, Plaxo etc.
What is your favorite spam bot on Twitter?
You, man. No I’m kidding. Santaclaus_127. He/She/It is a pain.
I would like to thank James for taking the time to sit down with me. It was a great honor to meet him and connect a face with the twitter account. Thanks James! Stay tuned for the next week meet.
What Would Seth Do? Seth Godin and Compendium.
Most of the readers of my blog know that I am a huge Seth Godin fan. I have devoured every single book he has released, as well as, keeping updated on his blog. Whenever there are videos or blog posts about the brilliance of Seth Godin, I try to prop them up or comment. It just so happens that a company here in Indianapolis has started a video series on corporate blogging. It also just so happens that Seth Godin is featured in the first video!
Chris Baggott, Co-Founder and CEO of Compendium, is featured in the video talking about his WWSD way of life: What Would Seth Do?
Check it out. See what you think! I would love to know what everyone loves/hates about Seth Godin.
Social Media Consultants’ Top 2 Dangers and the Solutions
I love social media. I love it. No question about it.
Through all the giddy love and unquestionable dedication to social media in the past few months, I have realized one thing. There is fine line to draw when it comes to embedding yourself into the social media world, especially as a business owner and social media consultant.
The Dangers of Social Media:
Danger 1: Loss of Productivity in Your Offline Work Environment
When I first started getting involved in sites like FriendFeed, Plaxo, LinkedIn, and Smaller Indiana I started to see a slow decrease of my productivity in my work flow. I was spending so much time writing blogs, commenting in FriendFeed, and searching for new content my Clients were starting to suffer. I was missing a few deadlines and not getting the sleep I needed to run a successful and productive company.
I have read more than a few posts in FriendFeed pertaining to this topic. When you become entrenched in a social community you grow to love the content and the people on the site. What do we do when we love something? Invest in it. Plain and Simple.
Solution
- Time Management: Try to set a certain amount of time aside for social media once a day. Set a goal to spend 30-60 mins in the morning and 30-60 mins in the evening (this is just an example). Maybe you decide to spend time on social media at night after you get home. Maybe it is on your lunch break. Manage your time and stick to it.
- Crowd Sourcing: Use your social media communities to help with your work! I recently needed some ideas of where to find stock pictures of run-down gas stations. I posted the question on FriendFeed and within 2 minutes, I had 6 responses! Social Media communities are filled with extremely intelligent and talented people. USE THEM!
Danger 2: The Curse of Knowledge
Most of us on the social media circuit are self-proclaimed social media experts. We love to be the early adopters. We love to try every new and shiny beta out there. We debate and talk about certain sites to the point of beating the conversation to death.
Owning a company that caters to small businesses, I have found myself ROCKED with the curse of knowledge. Most small business owners are not engrained into social media. LinkedIN and Plaxo are the extent in which they enter into the social community realm. For social media tycoons and experts the curse of knowledge can be detrimental when consulting to your small business clients.
“Have you ever tried Twitter? You should really check it out.” ***blank stare*** “Okay, let’s go back to LinkedIN and Plaxo.”
Solution:
It is simple. Remember that the social media fanatics are a completely different crowd than most small business owners. I have tried to slow myself down when discussing social media with a prospective client. I tend to get really excited and go on tangents of social media effectiveness and crowd sourcing in FriendFeed (blah blah blah).
- Get to the source of the pain. Maybe you are overwhelmed by all the sites out there? Maybe you need some help in finding the right sites and managing the content to the sites? You want to get into blogging? The Basics? Sure!
The greatest lesson I have ever learned is actually from the Sandler Sales Course, which I would love to take some day. Ask questions. Get to the source of the problem. Don’t overwhelm with knowledge and wealth of information.
Most people could care less about the amount of knowledge you have about social media. They already know you are good…..They are meeting with you. They want to know how YOU are going to solve THEIR problems. They don’t care about the new THING in social media. They care about how it helps them.
A New Level to FriendFeed: Confessions Room
Currently on the Confessions Room: 360 posts, 2815 comments today
I have been preaching about a new level of relationship building on social media. There needs to be a deeper connection between individuals on social platforms. Enter the Confessions Rooms.
Friendfeeder Shawn Farner started the confessions room as a way to share some deeper things in Friendfeed and post it anonymously. At first I was hesitant, shrugging the room off as just another way to spread myself farther across the wide expanse of FriendFeed. I decided to join the room after hearing a couple of excellent comments crossing the feeds.
I have not been disappointed. Other than the random meanderings of some complete idiots, the FriendFeed confessions room has been an excellent way to really get deeper with friends on an online platform.
Some Examples of the feeds in the Confessions Room:
“Honestly, I wouldn’t mind not having kids. It would really not be a big loss to me…”
“I was drunk the night I asked my wife to marry me. She was as well…and also on the other side of the country at the time. That was 10 years ago October 
”
“I just had a terrible fight with my girlfriend. And now i feel like shit.”
“I want to make a big difference in this world, but my career goals and the fact that I’m lazy means I never will.”
The Confessions room is an excellent way to get to know your FriendFeeder’s in a more intimate way. Join the group. Start a conversation. If you want to do it anonymously you can sign in to the Confessions account and post.
I encourage everyone to check in and see what is going on. What a great way to make social media have deeper meaning!
Rebellion! Personal Branding and Social Media?
Social Marketing Journal had a post today called, Is Social Media Starting to Rebel. In general the post talks about the deletion of accounts at Facebook and the changing of names at Bebo.
Andy Beal was one of the members who brought the ‘profile changes’ on Bebo to the limelight.
He is quoted saying,
“Let this be a warning. Don’t ever rely 100% on your social networking profile for brand building. Bebo-and perhaps others-can and will change your profile without warning”
The Social Marketing Journal goes on to say that bloggers and social media users should be wary when it comes to using social media as a branding tool. At least not as your major tool.
I don’t completely agree with the stance of the Social Marketing Journal. Just because a website or social media community has the ability to change your information doesn’t mean you should be wary of using social media as one of the staples to your branding strategy.
The truth of the matter is this:
If you are spending time on your networks and investing yourself into the community will you not have a problem with the branding behind your profile. The people who have problems (when their profiles are changed) are the individuals who start profiles just to be ON the site and not INVESTING in the site.
Being on and Investing in a social media community are two completely different concepts. Anyone can sign up for a social platform but not everyone can spend the time and energy it takes to invest in the community of the site.
When you invest in the community you shouldn’t have a problem with the changing of a profile or your brand identity.
This does not go to say that you shouldn’t worry about your profiles online. Whether or not you should be wary of social media for personal branding is up for question.
It’s 3log Day! My 3log Day Links.
Well. This is my first year participating in Blog Day. I have been pushing through my google reader and making a detailed list of the top blogs I have read in the past couple of months. It was extremely hard for me to cut down the list to 5 but here it is:
1. Mike Fruchter at My Thoughts on Social Media: I have been communicating lately with Michael over FriendFeed and rest assured, he never leaves you disappointed.
2. MooshinIndy. Ahhh Casey. I met Casey at the recent blogIndiana conference and she is absolutely delightful to be around both online and off. Her rants and musings are centered around her family and the city of Indianapolis. She caters to the mothers of the net but she has a little something for everyone.
3. Erik Deckers. The Laughing Stalk. If you ever want a chuckle, Laughing Stalk with Erik Deckers is the place to be. Also an Indianapolis native, Erik writes humorous columns about news events, as well as, “repressed memories that have recently resurfaced.” Always gets a laugh out of me.
4. Hutch Carpenter of I’m Not Actually A Geek. Another FriendFeed acquaintance, Hutch brings a detailed approach to his writing that is hard to match. His views on Social Media and breakdowns of certain communities goes much farther than the “how to” guidelines.
5. The Marketing Technology Blog by Douglas Karr. Doug is one of the premiere bloggers in the Indianapolis area and someone I look up to when it comes to the blog-o-sphere. Doug has helped me numerous times on my blog with optimization and idea generation. He breaks down technology and has some awesome applications he has designed for the web.
There are many more who should be on this list. Other blogs you should check out and subscribe to:
Sports Marketing 2.0 by Pat Coyle
Roundpeg by Lorraine Ball
MacroLinz.com by Lindsay
Justin Korn’s Blog
Squaredpeg by Brad Ward
Still more are on the list. I would encourage everyone to visit two places to find GREAT content.
1. SmallerIndiana.com: An online social network for Indiana residents. We have surpassed the 3000 member mark and are a collection of creative, entrepreneurial, blogging, and business minded fanatics.
2. FriendFeed: Add me as a friend and follow the people I am sharing content with. You will not be disappointed.
The Beautifully Disturbing Aspect of FriendFeed and Social Media
I have been reading recently about the psychological aspects of social media and the online medium of communication (I will be posting in the next couple of days my thoughts and research). As many of us can attest to, we have created some relationships online with people across the country and on the other side of the world. You can categorize some of these relationships as relatively strong compared to your offline friendships.
I have always been under the assumption that online friendships can be just as strong as their offline counterparts. They become even stronger when you combine the two (meet offline after meeting online or vice versa).
I have been spending a lot of time recently on FriendFeed. I have communicated with some amazing people, sharing in some laughs and conversations that have been extremely satisfying. There has been something that has been bothering me though and that is the beautiful disturbing aspect of Social Media: not being balanced.
Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) I have a self-diagnosed case of an addictive personality. I become literally obsessed with certain things for unspecified amounts of time. It has been a good thing for my business and a ‘not-so-good’ thing for my personal life. I have been addicted to social sites like Friendfeed, Facebook, and Seesmic.
It is beautiful (I have met some great people) and yet disturbing (I have neglected offline relationships). I have finally figured out that the name of the game is balance. Isn’t that true in everything we do in life? Balance seems to be the name of the game when trying to magnify experience and learning.
Balance your offline and online relationships. When the opportunity arises to combine the two, don’t hesitate. You will not regret it.
Through the Doors and Beyond the Lobby…Welcome to the New Company
Recently, Vincent Hunt of SurfaceBurn wrote an absolutely brilliant post explaining Social Media entitled There is Nobody in the Lobby…Intro to Social Media. When I say brilliant, I mean absolutely, positively without a doubt brilliant. He explains social media with a visionary, and yet simple, scenario of an office building.
From his post:
An orchestration of web services all tied together, powered by the individuals who have something authentic to say, and are not afraid to say it. Each door on this corridor represented a service. MySpace was room 101 and Facebook was room 102, Twitter was full of clamor, it was room 105, and with THIS revelation I understood even the more, that IF we do not get off the couch – and start walking into these rooms and saying something, we will be left in the lobby.
I found myself envisioning the office building. This massive steel structure filled to the top with people. People of all ages, race, personalities, opinions, and ideas running from room to room in an exuberant, mind-altering speed… Conversations bouncing from wall to wall… Ideas forming in one room, only to disappear and explode in another.
I wanted to expound upon his idea of the office building analogy. I wanted to put more thought into the idea of Social Media being an endless steel structure jutting high into the sky, the steel and glass glistening in the sun before pushing into the clouds above.
Welcome to Social Media Corp. The largest non-Fortune 500, non-commercial, non-capitalistic, and utterly EXPLOSIVE company on the planet.
You can leave your money outside because ideas, content, community, and collaboration are the currency. It is the only company in the world where you are CEO and deep-pocket commercialism is clamoring to get inside. Where they find themselves handing each other business cards in the lobby and trying daily to join in the hallways.
You will find that every room and every floor is different and yet oddly connected.
We are all employees of this new company. We choose to spend time investing in the rooms we deem fit. There is no upper-management or lunch break. There is no 401K or vacation time. There is only the content and the community behind it.
And the community is building… stretching…expanding. There are daily breakthroughs in architecture to build it higher, stronger, and wider.
We are the employees, the architects, the CEOs, and the investors. We are the company.
I cannot do Vincent’s post justice. He wrote with a touch of clarity that I could only hope to mimic. Read it. Write about it. Build on it.
This is where we become explosive…through the doors and beyond the lobby.
The Beauty of Viral and FriendFeed
I am a frequent follower of Mike Fruchter’s Shares on Google Reader via his FriendFeed stream. I am inaudated hourly with Mike’s recent blog favorites. He shared a blog post today called: There is a Down Side To Viral Marketing from the people at the Social Marketing Journal. The central concept of the post: you can’t control viral marketing. If you try to control it you fail. If you ignore it, you fail.
The Three Down Sides of Viral Marketing according to the Social Marketing Journal:
1. Viral Marketing is Hit and Miss
2. Viral Marketing Has No Control Measure
3. Viral Marketing Can Go Negative
After reading the post, I found myself thinking about the concept of viral marketing and conversations on FriendFeed. Usually the conversation wildfire is centered around politics (most recently a convo started by Alex Scoble around 9/11.. I think we are approaching 60 some comments?). There is a massive viral opportunity on FriendFeed for the Tech community to embrace. The best example I have of a viral campaign in the works is my post recently on FriendFeed regarding the new social media site, Yokway.
I had received an email from Stephan Osmont at Yokway inviting me to try out the service. I had no idea who he was or how he had my email. I decided to post to FriendFeed to ask if anyone had heard of Yokway. Here is what happened.
Louis Gray picked up the conversation (after making fun of me, mind you) and eventually Stephan from Yokway had joined the conversation. A simple question had turned into a firestorm of debate over social media services. With Stephan defending the Yokway…. way.
What would have happened if Stephan had not joined the conversation? I probably would have still checked out the site (thanks to Louis) but the rest of the group involved in the conversation would have been left with questions.
Whether we are talking about FriendFeed, Twitter, Rejaw, Strands, Plaxo, LinkedIn, or Facebook, (not to mention the 30000 other networks in existance) it is important to remember to be IN the conversation. If your demographic frequents any social network GET INVOLVED. This might mean hiring a part time employee or spending some extra time yourself. SUCK IT UP. This is not something to be ignored and as we approach the next couple of years, it will become an even stronger force.
Honestly, you don’t have to suck it up. Maybe I was a little harsh? You could keep on ignoring the conversations and drive your brand into the ground. Your choice.
I’ll buy you a shovel but don’t expect me to help you dig.