At a networking event last week I met a lovely woman who was excited to hear I train on social media. When I asked why, she said every time she goes to a trade meeting, she’s told she’s missing out by not using (fill in the blank). Â First it was LinkedIn, then it was Facebook, then it was Twitter. What’s next? I have to tell you, I hate hearing this. Â Embracing social media for social media’s sake is just not what it is about. You have to understand who your customers are and where they are looking for information. Â Then be there. It sounds too simple but that’s how it is. Â I know there are stories in every industry about someone making it big through Twitter, or Facebook, or whatever. But I will guarantee for every one of those incredible success stories there are many […] Continue reading
Facebook – New Scary Stuff
I don’t think it is any secret that I’m not a big fan of Facebook. Â I’ve had many, many people tell me I’m wrong, but none of them have made a compelling argument why I should change. Now, all I see everywhere are scary stories about privacy. Â The New York Times did a great job illustrating Facebook privacy information in their article on May 12th called Facebook Privacy: A Bewildering Tangle of Options. Now I’m not saying that people should abandon Facebook (although there is a lot of that going around), I will strongly caution people to really think before they post something. You have to assume people can find and see the information unless you are one of the 12 people in the world who actually understand all the privacy options on Facebook. And, that means you keep up with them as they seem […] Continue reading
Getting Something Out of Social Media
Ever watch someone work a room? They move from group to group, introducing people, setting up lunch dates, making people smile. When they leave the lights are just a little dimmer, aren’t they? Ever wanted to be that person? One of the most exciting things about Web 2.0 and social media is you can be that person on line with about two hours of effort. Social media is all about listening to people one-on-one. It is also about individuals, not companies. This is great news for small business owners who ARE the company. All this time you have tried to look bigger than you are, conveying messages of size without stretching the truth. Now, your on-line presence needs to be all about you—who you are, what you do and why you can help someone. THAT you can talk about! In social media, there are the […] Continue reading