All posts by Shari Weiss

I have been writing and teaching most of my life -- and have enjoyed both vocations. However, the advent of the Social Media Revolution has turned my life around in the most exciting fashion. Rather than think about retirement, I want to help change the world -- particularly the business world -- into a "kinder," more ethical, transparent, and authentic place to help solve people's problems.
Sharisax Is Out There

If Press Releases Are Not Dead, Then What?

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PR teachers have it made these days . . . if “having it made” means we get to figure out what works and what doesn’t now that the Social Media Revolution is affecting every facet of business.

We teach our students that public relations is all about building and maintaining a company’s reputation. That is usually news to the students who come to us thinking that PR people write press releases and tell lies.

Question: ARE PRESS RELEASES DEAD?
Would be AWESOME to include a quote from you

I asked this question to several of my online friends, including Bill Sledzik, a PR professor at Kent State University [where I earned my master’s in PR umpteen years ago]. He responded on Facebook and then put the answer on his Posterous site as well. Here is what he said:

One of my Facebook friendz asked me this question, and since
only my friendz can see my response, I’ve decided to post it here as well.

Question: ARE PRESS RELEASES DEAD? Planning a blog post: would love your opinion 🙂
Would be AWESOME to include a quote from you!

Answer: I first read about the death of the news release in 1979, the same year I last attended a Grateful Dead concert. The prognosticators were wrong then, and they’re wrong now.

The press release, done correctly and professionally, is a perfectly serviceable tool. I would also point out that the SEC especially likes releases as a compliance tool. Unfortunately, a news release in the hands of an amateur is ineffective and sometimes offensive. Of course, the same is true of blogs, websites, and even tweets. As folks untrained in the effective use of news releases have invaded the ranks of PR, we’ve seen an explosion of bad practice and bad writing.

I lay the blame for shoddy media relations practices squarely on the marketers, who have yet to fully understand the nuances of public relations. They are starting to come around now –so much so that they want to own “PR.”

The social-media evangelists who predict the death of the press release generally don’t understand how to use them effectively. I would add that many of them don’t write well,either. Just check their blogs.

The press release has changed its form over time, and that evolution will continue. But to paraphrase Mr. Clemens, reports of its death are greatly exaggerated.

After Bill’s response (and others), I turned my attention to a more general look at several PR issues and began following discussions on a few LinkedIn PR groups. Three PR pros in these groups graciously agreed to answer four questions: Ilias Chelidonis, P.J. Naughton, and Scott Tesar.

MY QUESTIONS

1. How effective are press releases, really?

2. Is there any way to show an ROI for press releases, especially regarding the costs of distribution.

3. How has PR practice changed in the last 2-3 years?

4. What changes will companies need to make in their PR and marketing strategies, given the growing influence of social media?

And now their answers:

1. How effective are press releases, really?

Ilias: Well, it depends what we define as effective and what we want to get out of a press release.

Is it brand awareness? Is it leads?

In order to get either of these, your press release needs to say something new to the media. It does not have to be better, just new: a new product, new service, something that is worth mentioning.

Online press releases do help you build links and create brand awareness, which if you manage properly, will provide business leads but certainly not in the near future: it much more of a long term investment.

P.J. They are more effective today as long as the magazine/publications post the release on their websites. This creates backlinks to your site which is good for the Google ranking as well as the Google search. Having a backlink from a trade publication that has a high page rank adds credibility to your site.

Scott: In my experience, I have not found them to be effective because there are so many of them out there that I believe they get lost in the volume. New social networking channels appear to offer more effective, targeted communication mediums.

2. Is there any way to show an ROI for press releases, especially regarding the costs of distribution.

Ilias: Cost of press release distribution is very low these days, so it would be better to be taken as a long term investment rather than something that needs to have quantifiable return in the short term.

However return can be calculated by deciding first what you want to achieve by sending out a press release. You need to track how many signups came from the press release and how many actions taken — was it a sale or a download of a white paper.

P.J.: If yo

Sharisax Is Out There

Why am I here?

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“What do you want your website visitors to learn about you?”

That question began chapter 18 — “Website conversations” — in Patrick Schwerdtfeger’s popular step-by-step guide for small business owners, commission salespeople, and service professional: Webify Your Business, Internet marketing secrets for the self-employed.

“Your website visitors need to find out if your website has what they are looking for . . . or not.”

Patrick suggests that you answer this question right away by including positioning statements “front and center” on your Home Page. He advises writing down statements like one of his: “Tactical Execution offers tested marketing strategies for small business.”

So I thought I’d follow his direction and list a half dozen Positioning Statements for SHARISAX IS OUT THERE:

  1. Sharisax Is Out There [SIOT] offers step-by-step lessons on how to accomplish basic tasks on popular social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
  2. SIOT discusses solutions that can help small, medium, and large businesses apply technology to reshape their organizations and take advantage of the evolving communication landscape.
  3. SIOT presents interviews with business professionals who are social media influencers and users.
  4. SIOT reports information provided during social media conferences and events.
  5. SIOT shares tips and other content from popular social media books.
  6. SIOT offers my own personal observations of the huge changes in our lives because of the paradigm shift –the New Normal in business and marketing.

Now it is your turn. Make a list of statements and then prioritize them in a logical order, i.e., What you want people to do first, second, third, etc.

“A conversation is taking place and you can script your side of it the same way some companies use scripts for customer service calls.”

You have complete control over your website, and you should take advantage of the opportunity, according to Patrick:

“Figure out what you want them to learn and then build a path for them to walk on. If you do, it will dramatically improve the conversion rate your website delivers.”

Interview

PR Pros Must Become Technology Experts

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As a university public relations instructor for many years, I have always been excited to compare notes with PR pros in the field. And with the revolutionary changes and “New Rules” for PR and Marketing, I am particularly pleased to meet a pro who “gets it.”

And David Landis gets it so well that his 20-year old company Landis Communications Inc. (LCI) recently won the national Bulldog Reporter Award for social media excellence in public relations.

“Our joint social media campaign for the San Francisco Symphony’s national music education program Keeping Score won the bronze award for both of us in the category ‘Best Use of Social Media Tools – Business/Consumer.'”

Technology and Globalization are the Big Challenges for PR firms, says David Landis

David and I met at Golden Gate University when I spoke about Social Media to an MBA Public Relations course that he and colleague Allan Mann co-teach. Coincidentally, David and I both attended Northwestern University where he started as a piano major. But he found a different “calling” when he got a job in the public relations department of the Ravinia Festival — summer home for the Chicago Symphony.

“What I love about this profession is helping clients grow their businesses and connecting them to influencers who can help make that happen.”

I talked with David about how he views the changes in his chosen profession:

Many social media evangelists believe that Public Relations must undergo dramatic changes to comply with the new realities of the marketplace. What is your definition of PR and how do you think the business is changing?

Public relations helps positively connect businesses, brands and organizations with their respective audiences. Public relations hasn’t changed – but the methods of that communication have evolved over the years.

Public relations still relies on these three elements:

  • defining business objectives,
  • identifying key audiences and messages that will resonate with those audiences,
  • and then connecting to those audiences via various channels (media, social media, events, influencers and organizational partnerships).

What HAS changed is that with the advent of technology, communication (not public relations) between audiences has evolved.

“It isn’t just one-way anymore. It’s two-way. . . or more. The interactivity of communication – as well as the ease of sharing that communication via technology — has changed HOW we communicate forever.”

What is the role of press releases in today’s public relations campaigns. How has this evolved?

Press releases still play a major role in a public relations campaign. They do provide news – but they aren’t just “one-way” communication anymore. Previously, press releases helped alert media to news stories that they could then write for their readers or viewers. Nowadays, press releases still do that – but press releases themselves (if properly “optimized” via search engine optimization, links, video, etc.) can help brands connect directly with their consumers.

What are the biggest challenges for PR agencies these days?

Here are two:

  1. One is the sheer pace at which technology is evolving and being able to stay at the forefront. In the communications business, we must be experts at all the new technologies so that we can guide our clients.
  2. Also, I believe globalization is a huge challenge. The world isn’t regional anymore. So the days of an independent PR agency surviving in the new world paradigm are slim to none. That is why our agency joined forces with the Public Relations Global Network – so that we could compete with the bigger multi-national PR agencies head-to-head.

What should a company look for in choosing a PR agency?

Most importantly, companies should look for someone who truly understands their business – its challenges and its opportunities – as well as someone with a proven track record. Additionally, it’s important to find an agency that is strategic and can provide tangible ROI. That’s why we started our program called “Promised Results.” If you can’t prove your worth in today’s economy, why should a client spend money on you?

And I’m still a big believer that personal chemistry is equally important. You want to do business with people you like.

Finally what advice would you offer to today’s college students who want to go into PR or marketing

Several pieces of advice:

  1. Become as well-rounded as you can. Don’t just take journalism or PR courses, although they’re a good start. Make sure you volunteer. Be involved in your community.
  2. Read ALL media: newspapers, online, radio, television.
  3. Engage in social media firsthand.
  4. Get some solid PR experience through an internship.
  5. And most of all: write, write and write. Writing is probably the single most important thing you can do to prepare for a career, not just in PR but in just about anything. Create your own blog, write a newsletter pro-bono for a nonprofit whom you love or just begin to write your own book.
“The best PR professionals in the world are ones who know how to communicate clearly, can write successfully – and are well-rounded and aware of trends and issues worldwide.”

If you could give companies a manual entitled HOW TO DO PR THE RIGHT WAY, what rules might you include?

Always tell the truth – and think creatively about every situation.

On a personal note:

Do you have any anecdotes to share about early experiences as a PR guy?

One of my favorites was with the Broadway actress Jean Marsh (from the old series, “Upstairs, Downstairs.”  She was in a play we were doing at the Academy Festival Theatre in Chicago.  At the end of it, as a Thank You, she bought me a hand-painted teacup with the inscription, “David, it’s such an English play, you simply must drink tea.  Love, Jean.”

I’ve treasured that teacup ever since.

What are the biggest business lessons you’ve learned during your career?

  • Be direct and honest
  • Don’t forget it’s a business and watch the money
  • Your people are your best assets
  • A good idea can come from anywhere
  • Contracts make for good business relationships.

***

Landis Communications Inc. (LCI) is a full-service, independent San Francisco-based public relations and social media agency that helps brands, businesses and nonprofits connect with consumers.

LCI’s clients include MetLife, San Francisco Symphony, Tiffany & Co., Old Navy, Match.com, California Academy of Sciences, KMD Architects, SFJAZZ, NatureBridge, Lotus Bakeries, Wolfe Video, Save the Redwoods League, CafePress.com, Cold Stone Creamery, Whole Foods Market and more.

LCI is also the San Francisco member agency of Public Relations Global Network, with more than 40 affiliate public relations agencies worldwide.

Guest Post, Sharisax Is Out There

Social Media Monitoring: Critical for Business Success

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Success with social media strategies requires monitoring and reporting, but with so many tools available, what should you choose?

This was a Discussion Topic that has so far generated 88 comments on the LinkedIn group: Future Social Media. Among the individual site recommendations was a response from Alan Stevenson who offered several tools to consider, so I asked if he’d put his knowledge into a special Guest Post for my readers:

Guest Post by Dr. Jim Hamill and Alan Stevenson

This article will provide an overview of Social Media Monitoring tools, what they are, what benefits they can provide for your business and how you should begin to think about the solution(s) that meets your needs.

Just as Google Analytics has forced us to think differently about our website, Social Media Monitoring tools are forcing us to think very differently about our wider web presence.

What are Social Media Monitoring Tools

One of the major trends on the Web has been the emergence of Social Media Monitoring Tools – applications which allow companies to monitor the conversations taking place about brands, products, competitors or industries across different social media platforms:

WHO is saying WHAT, WHERE on the social web.

We have identified over 100 companies operating in this space, as summarized in Tag Cloud above.

Social Media Monitoring solutions range from no- or low-cost tools such as Google Alerts, Trackur, Social Mention or ViralHeat to more expensive and sophisticated tools, such as Scoutlabs, Radian6, SM2 or SocialRadar.

Some tools are sophisticated, but expensive

The most sophisticated (and most expensive) tools allow businesses to monitor and evaluate the following:

· A river of news: all the information pertaining to your business, industry, product or competition

· The volume of relevant mentions

· The topic trends (peaks and troughs over a period), tying in with events, other marketing initiations or potential reputation issues such as Nestle and a Palm Oil protest

· Details of what is being said at an aggregate level, from all content. Usually displayed as a “tag cloud” containing mentions of key words or phrases

· The mention medium: tweet, blog post, forum post, news item, video or image

· The importance of individual mentions with an ability to rank and further tag or categorize e.g. this mention is about “jobs”; “finance”; “competitors”

· Overall sentiment or tone (with some serious caveats); which mentions were positive or negative. See the idolstats site for an innovative application of this feature

· Language variants, some supporting analysis in 10 or more languages

· The perceived importance of mentions, channels, sources or individuals (in other words your influencers)

· Updates and changes as they happen, usually as email alerts or RSS feeds

· The opportunity to identify “actionable insights” e.g., the Banff Tourism Authority that noticed the potential viral impact of a squirrel or the Southwest Airlines team that got behind a video of their rapping flight attendant

Others are free, but with limitations

The free tools provide “some” of the aforementioned features and for many businesses (arguably most businesses); combining one or more free tools is good enough. I’ve highlighted a few to consider below:

Google Alerts – Searches Google’s index across blog, news, video, web and groups for your key search terms. Results can be provided by email or as RSS feeds and it provides an extensive range of results (updated daily) but does not include Twitter results (yet). Further analysis (such as relevance or importance) or search within comments over a period of time can be facilitated through use of a Feed Reader (Google Alerts feeding Google Reader). A good starting point for any business in this space.

Social Mention – Provides a good level of social media analysis for specific search terms and includes sentiment analysis. Using the advanced search facility, terms can be customized to a great extent although there is limited use of authority or relevance in results. Not as feature rich as Blogscope and reports are fairly basic with less ability to specify dates or drill into results. Also, alerts are on basic search terms only.

How Sociable – Not a bad way of quickly getting a handle on how sociable a company or brand is. It scores your business across a range of networks and blogs. Simply, it creates a search query in each channel and rates the response. Although not 100% accurate it is a useful tool to track progress.

Trackur – Does the usual things well (aggregates search across video, web/news, twitter). Provides results in one place where filtering can take place but deeper analysis is not possible. Sentiment tracking is manually configured i.e. you set positive, negative, neutral for each return (the system defaults to neutral for all).

Blogscope – An initiative from the University of Toronto. It provides popularity curves and key words for any search and has good links to articles and videos (with preview facility). You can drill down by date and conduct comparison searches. The presentation aspect of the tool is excellent. It captures data from the main blogs and one or more video sites (although I suspect only YouTube). It does not appear to pick up Twitter and there is limited ability to analyze content further or even monitor on an ongoing basis.

A solution ‘fit’ for purpose

Businesses that receive a high number of mentions on a regular basis or those that have a portfolio of products and services to manage, will require the range of features and level of analysis only available from the more sophisticated “high end” tools. The debate currently taking place on the LinkedIn group: Future Social Media is testimony to the difficulty that then exists in determining which of the many tools on the market is the right tool for you.

It is often compelling to use the feature list of a product as the starting point for selecting a solution. Or indeed become fixated by what tools do or don’t do as well as their counterparts. This invariably leads to problems. I should also say that all of the leading Social Media tools are limited in the following:

· They do not analyze sentiment well; they are unable to determine automatically and to a high degree of accuracy positive or negative mentions and often err on the side of caution i.e. make the majority neutral
· They will not calculate Return on Investment for you
· They will not interpret the findings for you or take effective action for you
· They are not an answer to further manual processing and manipulation

My answer to the question of which tool to use or which tool is best, is the same answer for any business looking to monitor Social Media. The tool or tools you use should depend entirely on your prioritized needs or requirements e.g. if you are only ever going to receive a few mentions a month, why pay a high fee to monitor those conversations? If you are only ever going to monitor conversations in English why do you need a tool that translates tweets into eight different languages, as cool as that function appears?

Put another way, you must consider your rationale for monitoring Social Media in the first place. This rationale should be closely aligned to your overall Social Media vision and objectives and tied in to your key initiatives (YouTube Channel, Facebook Page, Twitter account, Website or Blog etc.). In this sense, you will certainly be considering a Social Media Monitoring solution that augments the range of ‘channel’ specific analysis tools that already exist, for example, Google Analytics, Facebook Stats, YouTube analytics, and so on.

Social Media Monitoring tools can support your Social Media Strategy in a number of ways:

  1. Market Knowledge and Intelligence. Where your customers, partners, competitors and staff are hanging out online.
  2. Customer Insight and Understanding. What your customers and their influencers are saying about you or your competitors.
  3. Engagement with a potential network of high value, high growth prospects. Identifying key posts and follow-up actions.
  4. Interaction with Key Influencers. Identifying influential sources for incorporation into a wider strategic response.
  5. Reputation Management. Timely identification of potential reputation issues.
  6. Improved Sales and Marketing. New prospects, customer and market opportunities.
  7. Improved Performance Monitoring. Monitoring a number of measures of Social Media performance (very different than those we use to measure Website Performance). We like to call them the 4I’s of: involvement (views, followers, members etc.), interaction (posts, comments, ratings etc.), intimacy (sentiment, affection, aversion to the brand) and influence (forward, share, retweet etc.).

The question is what do you really need and what is a nice-to-have?

Knowing this will help you focus in on a more detailed set of requirements, features and functions that you can then use to compare and contrast solutions. You might also consider using a free or low cost solution as you formulate your Social Media strategy (determining where your customers are hanging out and which channels you should engage) but then commit to a more robust package to support your implementation and ongoing performance monitoring.

In conclusion, we believe Social Media Monitoring tools herald an exciting new era for the Web. Just as Social Media is relevant for most businesses and industry sectors then so too are Social Media Monitoring tools. However, choices should be made around which tools are fit for purpose for your business. If you start your exploration of this area from the perspective of what you need and what you are trying to achieve, we believe you will find a solution just right or certainly good enough. If you start from the feature list on the vendor’s website, you may well give up or procure a tool that offers limited long-term value.

Social Media Monitoring, when used correctly, will support and enable many of the activities that are now critical to your future Social Media success and your future business success.

We look forward to your comments.

Alan

Alan Stevenson

e: ast3v3nson@gmail.com

w: www.linkedin.com/in/asbusinesssolutions

About the Authors

Dr. Jim Hamill and Alan Stevenson are acknowledged experts in Web 2.0/Social Media having successfully delivered on a wide range of consultancy projects in both the UK and internationally. They own and manage two very successful online communities – the tourism industry professional networking community ‘Tourism 2.0’ (www.tourism2-0.co.uk); and the ‘crowd sourced’ Web 2.0/Social Media e-Learning Community www.web2-0cpd.com. Alan has been advising businesses around strategic use of Social Media Monitoring tools for some time.

Dr. Jim Hamill


Alan Stevenson


e: jim.hamill@ukonline.co.uk

w: www.linkedin.com/in/jimh7171

e: ast3v3nson@gmail.com

w: www.linkedin.com/in/asbusinesssolutions

Figure 1: Social Media Monitoring Tools – Tag Cloud  Source: The Authors

Facebook

What You Can Do With Your Facebook Friends

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“Facebook Follies” can be avoided when you know what you’re doing with your FB Friends.

At a recent workshop for Newbies, we began chatting about Facebook Do’s and Don’ts and then more basic questions like “Why is the Wall called the Wall?” and “How do you make sense of everything that you see on your Facebook Home Page?”

We took a step-by-step approach to understanding some basics, and one of the participants asked for the lesson in “black and white,” so here it is:

What do you see when you sign in to Facebook?

You go directly to your Home page where you will see the phrase News Feed in the wide middle column [see screen directly below].

  • To the right of News Feed are the labels “Top News” and “Most Recent”
  • Below the update box that says “What’s on your mind?” is a stream of updates from your friends.
  • This stream [by default] is Top News and includes the updates that Facebook has determined are the most popular.
  • If you select Most Recent, the stream will include updates from all of your friends as they are posted.

BUT . . . do you really want to read every comment from every friend? Probably not.

10 Steps to CREATE LISTS to manage your Friends

1. At the top right corner, you will click on the word “Account”

2. Here is the drop down box to the right:

3. Choose “Edit Friends” on the top of the list.

4. Check the screen below and . . .

5. Click in the “All Connections” link in the left hand corner.



6. Here is your next screen ALL OF YOUR CONNECTIONS:

7. Click on “Create New List”– Here is the Drop Down box:


8. In the “Enter a Name” box, write something like FRIENDS, and then click on every contact whom you want on your Friend List.

9. Perhaps you will make other lists for FAMILY, CLASSMATES, CLIENTS, etc.

10. Once you have divided your groups, you can now select the “streams” instead of merely accepting the Most Recent updates from all your connections.

Are these steps clear enough? Any questions, please list then in the comment section . . . and enjoy your Friends’ Updates.

Guest Post, LinkedIn

Webinars Work . . . When Everything Works

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People are so darn smart!

And social media platforms like LinkedIn offer experts in every field a great forum for sharing their expertise — and for the rest of us to benefit.

Like many people who want to learn “everything,” I register for many online webinars. Unfortunately, too many of them experience technical difficulties that detract from their usefulness. When I saw Bret Smith’s Discussion Topic on Webinars in our group Social Media Marketing Mavens, I wanted to broadcast his great advice, so asked if he would publish his views in a Guest Post.

Bret has 20 years’ experience in Global Sales, Marketing, Alliances, and  Business Development. He is co-principal of WebAttract, a global leader in informational webinar production and demand generation. During his career, he has established himself as a master of the science and art of audience recruitment as well as solution selling.

Like the Boy Scouts’ motto: BE PREPARED

Guest Post by Bret Smith

Webinars can go wrong in any number of ways. You are in charge of making things work out. Here are four common problems to prepare for:

1. Missing Presenter: Webinar speakers sometimes confuse the start time’s time zone —“Was it EDT, EST, or GMT?”

If the presenter doesn’t show up on time, be sure to have his or her emergency contact information on hand so you can call their cell phone or hotel room or have their assistant track them down.

2. Audio Difficulties: The telephone or Internet audio may cut out midway through the webinar. You may lose the presenter, lose the audience, or lose everyone at once. This situation can quickly become overwhelming unless you act quickly and decisively.

a) If only the presenter cuts out, verbally inform the audience what has happened and tell them the presentation will begin again shortly. That gives the speaker time to call in again or call in with a backup phone line.

b) If just the audience cuts out, post a note on the webinar screen with instructions for what the audience needs to do. They may need to exit the webinar room and login again or hang up and dial into the conference call again. Before the presentation resumes, confirm everyone can hear the audio. The easiest way to do this is to have several co-workers be attendees. They can run over to tell you if the audio is working again.

c) If everyone cuts out at once, first post an explanation, then get the presenter’s audio back up, and finally make sure the audience’s audio is back up, per the instructions above.

3. Presentation Slide Control: The speaker may lose the ability to progress from slide to slide during the webinar.

Sometimes the presenter can log out and log back in to regain access. If not, the presenter should have numbered the slides and have a hard copy nearby. The presenter can then use the hard copy to present from and instruct the facilitator when to move from slide to slide.

4. Doomsday: Webinars depend on many variables: the Internet provider, the telephone provider, the webinar technology, and your computer, to name some. At times these variables collude to get the better of you and you have no choice but to cancel the event.

Don’t make yourself wrong for this happening. Just deal with it.

  • First communicate with the live audience what has happened, what they can expect from you, and how to reach you.
  • After that, you’ll want to email or call every attendee.
  • Your message should include an apology, information about the rescheduled event, and some kind of compensation for their lost time, like free access to the next webinar or a complimentary e-book or report.

You never want to have these problems but, if you do, be excited: Any failing gives you the opportunity to impress the audience with your client service.

Bret Smith invites everyone to join his own group: WebAttract Thought Leadership Webinars and Webcasts

Blogging, Sharisax Is Out There

How To Do Social Media By The Book

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One year ago today, I wrote my first blog post: Follow me along Social Media Revolutionary Road . . . and what a ride it’s been — life altering, for certain.

The lessons keep on coming, especially on how to do this blogging gig. While there is NO one right way to blog — or become an “A-List Blogger — there are some Best Practices that win friends and influence people.

SHARISAX IS OUT THERE will evolve and apply some new strategies in this second year, but four months ago I followed some “best practices” and began a second blog using a very consistent design with fewer categories and a list format.

Check it out:

This Social Media Revolution is changing our lives and our selves: As fast as we are figuring out what to do next, we hear about yet another site, another tool, or another app.

Early Adopting Tech Geeks love this stuff.

But what about the rest of us . . . especially those who may still think “blogging” is a silly word, Twitter is stupid, and Facebook is a waste of time.

How to start doing “it”

Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19th century American philosopher and essayist, said that

“We are all looking for someone to tell us what to do.”

That’s one of the reasons why people write books, why bookstores and libraries are great places to hang out, and why book lovers like me scour the shelves for the newest, greatest information.

Find Top Tips in these Articles: The purpose of this blog is to share some of the best advice I’m reading from the most current books on social media and internet marketing — many of these books you will want to read cover to cover.

Categories click on choice below:

Ethics

Journalism

Marketing

Public Relations

Social Media Strategy

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Interview, Sharisax Is Out There

Friends Become Good Clients via Social Web

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Whenever Leora Wenger’s photo icon pops up on my Facebook and Twitter pages, I get a very warm, happy feeling. It’s only been a few months since we met online through super-networker Larry Brauner, but I now consider Leora one of my really good friends and someone whom I can count on for support and comraderie.

Over these past few months I’ve learned so much about Internet Marketing, Web Design, and social networking in general from Leora that I wanted to introduce her to all my friends online. From stay-at-home-mom to Web Developer and Designer, Leora’s growth has inspirational lessons for us all.

Follow your passion like Web Designer Leora Wenger . . .

Learn how to build great relationships for business and pleasure

Here are a few questions Leora answered about building her business:

1) Has your life made a dramatic change in the last few years, and if so, can you describe it.

Can’t say drama, but I have increasingly been doing more and more business.
In the past year, I’ve made many connections via social media, and a few of them have become clients.

Fourteen years ago I was a stay-at-home mom; I totally wish social media had been available in the way it is now so I could have connected with others so easily.

Last year I did some great in-person networking in New Jersey with people I met via Twitter.

2) How did you begin building websites?

I’ve loved the internet ever since I was an administrator at the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science in Cambridge, MA.

With another staff member, I wrote a program to put the Lab’s phone directory online (I was doing human resources for the Laboratory and taking computer science classes at night). This was years before there even was a World Wide Web!

The web came out when my boys were little; I heard about the job of “webmaster,” and despite the masculine title I decided that was what I wanted to do. So I taught myself online and by reading tech books — and asked questions of anyone with a technical background.

3) When did you get started with what you want to call social media, and why did you start?

Almost three years ago I wanted to learn WordPress. Also, I liked the idea of sharing art via a blog.

Here are two of Leora’s watercolors:

Not only have I become an expert in WordPress, I’ve made friends around the world, learned photography by connecting with photo bloggers, learned how to encourage comments on a post, and had a great time, too.
I would encourage anyone who wants to blog for business reasons but is timid to try a personal blog. You can even do it anonymously and get good blogging practice. Unfortunately, my original idea of sharing my art via blog is happening less and less; business and family come first, so I have less art time. I still take photos every few days and on family trips.

4) What behaviors do you practice that are “Social Media”?

Like the Barney song, say Please and Thank You: If someone visits your post and leaves a comment, try to visit one of her posts and comment. It’s called “social” for a reason – good manners are important.

On Twitter, learn to RT (retweet) – read what your followers are tweeting, and pick a few favorites to retweet. Answer and ask questions – both are interactive.

5) What are the top lessons you have learned about life and/or business since you began your Life on the Net?

  • Listen to your client. If client is being difficult, perhaps it is because you haven’t set clear enough boundaries. Make it clear what you can and cannot do. And find ways that you can both agree, so you will both be happy. Don’t sacrifice your own needs for your client, and don’t say nasty things to your client when you are angry. Catch your breath, assess the situation, talk to someone else about it, and figure out a way to resolve it, if possible.
  • Put it in writing. You can do this formally or informally, but this is related to setting clear boundaries about what you will and will not do for client.
  • Do work that is fun. Or sometimes fun. Sheesh, if you hate what you are doing, it will show in your work. Sometimes I get boring assignments, but I like all my clients. Love hearing from them. They make me smile.
  • Work on your strengths. Gravitate toward people who encourage you, rather than the naysayers. Listen to critics only if it’s constructive.
  • Established businesses have an easier time paying than startups. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do work for someone with grand ideas, but in my experience, it is important to be careful, especially if you really, really need the income. Choose clients wisely.

6) How do you deal with balancing work and family?

Years ago I read the 1985 version of What Color is Your Parachute? On page 222 (I still have my copy) there is a long list of handicaps one might have such as “I am too shy” or “I am a foreigner” or “I come from another planet.”

The point is, whatever your handicap is, there is an employer or client who is NOT put off by your handicap.

If your handicap is being primary caretaker for 2 or 3 or 4 or more kids, then you have a common handicap, one that many share. Figure out how to schedule work time, family time and me time in a way that works for you. Connecting with others with similar restraints via social media can be beneficial and encouraging.

Thus I would say for myself, finding others online who are balancing work and family has been great in encouraging me to move forward, even if we have very different professions.

7) What business advice have you found confusing?

Recently, I read a branding expert that said “pursue your passion.” Unfortunately, some people would then end up sitting on the beach all day.
In my early twenties, every few months I would change my career direction, based on what interested me at the time. I never got very far with any of the career options. Someone wise then said to me, “Leora, just pick something and stick with it.”
OK, that works for me.

Follow Leora Wenger on Twitter and tell her I said hello.

🙂

Facebook, Featured

How TO DO Facebook Right . . . If You Care About Your Online Reputation

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When I heard the title “The zen of social media marketing,” I knew I had to read this book by Shama Hyder Kabani.  Her chapter on Facebook was really detailed with lots of tips, so I thought I’d offer many of the items on Shama’s list of Do’s and Don’ts with my own comments.

Facebook DO’s and DONT’s for those with a business to grow

DO:

1. Spend time creating an outstanding profile

a) Begin with the “right” photo. Many people suggest that Best Practice — for those wanting to establish a consistent and credible online presence — is having one head shot that is distinctive, i.e., memorable, but not too casual.

b) The brief message below your photo could be a bio, mission statement, and/or a quote you live by.

c) Personal information you include, like hobbies and activities, can spark deeper relationships when connections see you share similar interests.

2. Let your personality shine through

Remember that people do business with people — not organizations. The whole reason why Facebook works for business is that you as an individual have the opportunity to build one-on-one relationships with people who can grow to like you better and trust you more.

3. Reach out to people in a professional and thoughtful manner

The word I like is “deliberate” i.e., EVERYTHING you write on the Internet needs to be carefully thought out; it’s indelible ink — and Findable.

This does not mean you are “inhuman”; on the contrary, you just need to be your Best Self. If you have just had a bad experience or you’re simply in a bad mood, write your feelings down somewhere else besides on the Global Whiteboard.

When people do discover you online, they should find a person who is the Go-To Source for some kind of information. That is the kind of online reputation you want.

4.Build a loyal Facebook friendship base

Shama suggests having a “friending policy” and most experts agree that if you want to expand your business using social media, you need to expand your definition of a friend, as well. Think connections, not intimate buddies. If you have really personal stuff to talk about, that doesn’t belong online anyway.

5. Leverage Notes and status updates by providing value

Status updates give you an opportunity to engage regularly on Facebook with short messages that show who you are, what you care about, and how you can help your community solve problems and meet challenges.

The Notes section is like a blog on which you can write your own short articles or share helpful information that you read. Your Notes entries will first appear as News Feed updates and then remain accessible on your menu board.

6. Work on attracting people to your site (using real value, not pushy links)

One of the most important “commandments” is Thou Shalt Not SPAM!

People typically come onto Facebook to see who’s there, what they are doing and thinking. The last thing they want is to be sold anything . . . so if you want to “use” Facebook for business reasons, you do not sell products/services — rather, you sell yourself, your nice, friendly, smart self.

7. Build a community around your topic or specialty

This is the Real Opportunity for building your business online: Start a Fan Page. It is a micro website, a public profile for your business/products/services in your Facebook neighborhood.

Invite your connections [i.e., Facebook Friends] to become your “Fans” and then keep them engaged:

  • Be proactive in your networking efforts
  • Share relevant pictures and videos
  • Participate actively with special offers and other reasons to keep your fans wanting to see what’s new.

Use your Fan Page content to build Brand Evangelists!

. . . and here are Shama’s DON’TS

1) Don’t be pushy

2) Don’t post your web link when writing something on someone’s Wall.

3) Don’t send or accept frivolous applications.

4) Don’t use your business name as your profile name.

5) Don’t put up crude or thoughtless pictures or comments.

6) Don’t expect social media to “work” for you.

7) Don’t be impatient.

FURTHER READING

Book Review: The zen of social media marketing

Don’t make these social media “newbie” mistakes

How to do social media “By the Book”

FURTHER WRITING

Please leave your own tips and experiences in the comment section below. Let’s help each other get the most value out of Facebook.

Phoro by Howard Blum
Guest Post, Interview, Sharisax Is Out There

Social Media is Really All About Building Community and Supporting One Another

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Social media has changed my life — and if you are reading this, no doubt social media will be changing your life AND your business, as well.

Social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook have allowed me to meet and engage with a host of new friends — this is a very supportive community of individuals who interact with one another in a win-win situation for all of us.

I met Deepak Gupta on Twitter through some mutual American Marketing Association friends, and when he asked to interview me for his blog, I was honored.

Interview with San Francisco Social Media Evangelista — Shari Weiss

by Deepak Gupta [3/21/10]

I had the pleasure of interviewing and gaining insight from San Francisco’s own Social Media Expert – Shari Weiss. You can follow our discussion below:

What did you do before becoming a social media evangelist and how did you get into that industry?

My 35-year career has combined careers in magazines, corporate communications, and education – most recently as a marketing lecturer at San Francisco State and freelance writer for Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club. Early in 2009, I discovered Social Media and Social Media Marketing, and I’m convinced this revolutionary new communication opportunity will continue to change our world for the better.

What qualities and traits make for a good social media evangelist?

Open-mindedness must play a huge role because much of the new technology is foreign to generations of people raised with traditional methods and tools of communication.
Passion goes a long way in supporting the commitment necessary to continue studying every new tool and strategy as it is introduced AS WELL AS helping convince others of the ultimate benefits in store.
Knowledge of sociology and psychology to understand and empathize with people.
Honesty and authenticity in spirit and practice is critical to model best practices.

What tools of the trade do you use throughout your typical day and how do they help?

1) Email is number one, and I check my mail dozens of times every day.
2) I keep my Tweetdeck open throughout the day to see if any of my friends have written to or mentioned @sharisax – I have met and begun relationships with dozens of fellow Tweeters, some of whom have become partners and friends.
3) My email often leads me to notifications from Facebook and LinkedIn. Of late, I have been spending more and more time checking and participating in LinkedIn group discussions.
4) I have two blogs that I write articles for several times a week AND respond to commenters, all of whom I am excited to approve and reply to.
5) I do not yet have a SmartPhone, but I see that as coming soon. SOON has come. I now have a Droid and will be blogging about my SmartPhone/SmartBooMR adventures.

I cannot help notice how many people call themselves social media experts. Are they just throwing the title around or are there really that many social media experts out there today?


No comment, except to say that it is difficult to become an “expert” when something new is coming out all the time, and it is difficult to always know what will achieve “critical mass” and what will fade away as yesterday’s forgotten buzz.

Some of our readers are up and coming social media experts. What advice can you give them and how can they get that seal of approval of becoming an expert in the industry?

My first piece of advice is to forget about getting into social media to become an expert. Better to find the perfect fit for your particular skills/interests AND the tools and strategies that will help you provide value to others. In my case, I love both writing and teaching, so I blog and conduct workshops to help others learn everything I know.

Currently what are the best websites for promoting social media and why?

Without much doubt, Facebook – with its 400 million users – is, and will be, Number One. I do believe that YouTube – the second most popular search site – is a platform that should be understood and used to reach the most amount of people. I, personally, love Twitter and suspect it may replace email in certain circumstances. LinkedIn has great potential for those business types who learn how to use its many facets. Finally, with all its resources – particularly the brilliant minds in the organization – Google is bound to play a growing role in all our communications.

What kind of tips do you have in writing stories for our Readers?

I agree with the Common Wisdom that the best articles tell lots of “stories,” particularly case studies and narratives that show people accomplishing goals.

Also write clearly and simply, don’t whine, and tell the truth.

Give us one of your biggest accomplishments? What are your future goals?


One of my biggest accomplishments has been to continue my first blog SHARISAX IS OUT THERE with an ever growing passion . . . and a never-ending selection of juicy topics to learn and write about. And now I’ve started a second blog HOW TO DO SOCIAL MEDIA BY THE BOOK, where I share great lists of information from the wonderful social media books that I read.
I have begun offering workshops to friends and small business people and plan to help small businesses begin to implement social media strategies. In addition, I am working on a magazine-type blog for Baby Boomers.

We cannot ignore that the popularity of social media is skyrocketing. What advice do you have for people who want to use your ideas to promote their business?

GO FOR IT! That’s what social media training is all about – helping people use these tools to build their businesses and help others.
**

BTW, You can find me in a number of places online:

Linkedin http://www.linkedin.com/in/shariweisssf
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/shari.weiss
Facebook Fanpage for Performance Social Media http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/Performance.Social.Media
Ning: http://performancesm.ning.com/
Twitter http://twitter.com/sharisax
Google profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/shariweissSF
Friendfeed http://friendfeed.com/sharisax
YouTube http://www.youtube.com/sharisax
Squido lens: http://www.squidoo.com/readandchat
Delicious http://delicious.com/Sharisax
Digg http://digg.com/users/sharisax
and
my San Francisco State website: http://online.sfsu.edu/~sharisax/

PHONE: 415/897-6052

Sharisax Is Out There

Social Media Strategy Best Practice: Think BIG, Start small

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There’s lots of confusion out there about How To Do Social Media RIGHT, according to Axel Schultze, founder of Social Media Academy.

In several of the Leadership classes I recently took with Axel and other #smacad instructors, we discussed a very structured way to help organizations plan for social media engagement.

“You can NOT  have an agency do “The Social Media Thing” and let the rest of the company do business as usual. Social Media must be a mindset for the entire company.” —Axel Schultze

Humans are built to be social; they’ve been trained to be automated — and accepted it.

So organizational structure needs to help us get back to relationships. Then we can collaborate with customers to build:

  • better products and services
  • loyal customers and employees
  • a community of people who are so enthusiastic that they recommend your company to their friends and family.

Over 80% of people stop buying products from companies when their trustworthiness comes into question. People spread distrust to friends and associates. Over 33% who lose trust in a company openly campaign against that company on the Internet.  Edelman Trust Barometer

Step by step approach to Social Media Participation

STEP ONE: Assessment – include customers, partners, competitors, and your own team. The more you know in the beginning, the clearer your path. Old Chinese Wisdom: “The First Step Lays the Whole Journey.”

STEP TWO: S-W-O-T Analysis – your own strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, i.e., based on your initial assessment. Most plans fail if there is no initial data from which to analyze progress.

STEP THREE: Team – Put together a group that includes customers and other representatives from your ecosystem. Customers will get better products and services by having more influence in the future directions of a company.

STEP FOUR: Actions – Plan precise and detailed programs to create awareness, change behaviors, and make things happen. A clear framework will outline who is responsible, what resources are available, how each program fits into the overall strategy, and what changes and rewards are made after a program is completed.

STEP FIVE: Reporting – Initial and ongoing assessment is critical. Select monitoring tools: know how to use them and what to do with the information. Observe  conversations and sentiments. Correlate community engagements with revenue streams.

What are you aiming for?

#1 Objective: Be part of the recommendation chain.
#1 Change: Create a better customer service experience.
#1 Implication: Shifting organizational gears in product development, customer support, human resources, sales, and marketing.
#1 Realization: Social media changes are a cross functional business initiative, more than just a marketing campaign.
#1 Result: Business growth through advocacy.

BEST PRACTICE TIP: Develop and gradually grow your engagement without a big bang, splash, or mega event. Just be active — one activity after another.

Understand that programs need to be compelling, fun, and unique. Creativity reigns. See what others have done, but take those ideas and make them your own.

If you’d like to contribute to a brainstorming session, tell us what “brainy” ideas you’ve had — whether you’ve tried them or not. Who knows what we can dream up together.

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Sharisax Is Out There

How To Write That First Blog Post on WordPress.com

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Many of my blogging students leave a workshop with all the confidence in the world, i.e., they’ve got a Blog Name and a new theme, and we’ve even put up one post with a photo.

But then they get home . . . and what do they do next?

NOW they can come “here.”

What you’ll learn below:

  • What the initial Dashboard looks like
  • What an Edit screen looks like
  • Where to type on the screen
  • How to Bold, italicize, underline, etc.
  • How to Save Draft, Preview it before it goes “live,” and then How to Publish it so it is “live”
  • Brief description of TAGS and CATEGORIES

Dealing with your WordPress Dashboard

(1) Here is the Dashboard screen that may be somewhat daunting at first [or second or third] glance:


(2) Take a look at the left side of the Dashboard and drop down to the section titled Posts:

Look at the four options: Edit, Add New, Post Tags, Categories

— a — As you might expect, you will Click on “Add New” to start your first post.

— b — For your information, you will be using the “Edit” to make changes on any post once it has been saved — whether it is still in “draft” form or after it has been “published.”

— c –“Post Tags”  and “Categories” are not really necessary because you can access these features as you Edit a post.

Now click on “Add New”

(3) Here is the screen you will use to write your article:

— a — Write a title. Any title will do for now, but keep in mind that your TITLE is of critical importance. So before you actually publish the article, do give the title a lot of thought.

— b — Drop down to the Text Box

(4) Here is what you could see:



Note TWO differences between the two screens in addition to the Title words and Text words.

— a — Look at the right hand top corner of the text box. You will see the word “Visual” is highlighted. If you check the blank text box above, you will see that the top right hand corner shows HTML is highlighted.

NOTE: Unless you are an HTML expert, you will want to create your posts in the “Visual” mode.

— b — Look at the left hand top corner of the text box. You will see the words “Upload/Insert” and five icons. Immediately below are two rows of icons beginning with the capital letter B [for Bold].

NOTE: The last box in the first row is called the “Kitchen Sink.” If you ever just see one row, then click this button, and the second row will appear.

(5) The Visual Editor allows you to make changes in text that you have highlighted.

Here are your options in the first row:

B = Bold; I = italic; ABC =strikethrough [e.g., financial document uses];

The next two boxes allow for a bulleted list and a numbered list.

The “quote mark” is used to indent portions of the text, e.g., for quotes. The style of the quote may be quite different, depending on the theme you have chosen. Some themes will put a Large Quote Mark in front of the quote. Other themes will put the quote in a white box.

The next three boxes are for allignment: align left; align center; align right.

The tenth and eleventh boxes [which are NOT highlighted in the screen shot above] are used to link your text to a URL. Once you highlight the text and click on the “link box” you will see a new box open up, and you can write [or paste] a URL.

The twelfth box is for an advance option called “Read More tag”: I wouldn’t worry about this one for now.

Spellcheck should be familiar

The second last box can toggle between a full screen and regular screen.

Finally is the KITCHEN SINK which toggles between one and two rows of Visual Editing tools

Second row options:

The default in the first box is for standard text. The drop down box will allow you to enlarge the text size for Headlines and Subheads. Different themes will treat the Heading 1 and Heading 2 and Heading 3 differently. You should experiment, but the Common Wisdom is that you should not use Heading 1 in the body of your post. Usually your top headline/title is Heading 1.

U =underline; the next box is Full Alignment

The fourth box offers different colors for your text.

Ignore the fifth, sixth, and seventh boxes for now. They are used when posting from other sources.

The horseshoe-looking icon will offer a drop-down box of Special characters like accents and cent signs.

The next two boxes will help you “un-indent” and indent.

Then you will have an opportunity with the arrow curving to the left to “undo” or the arrow curving to the right for a “redo”

Finally, the question mark will open up a help section for the Visual Editor.

(6) Save Draft — Preview — Publish

— a — As when writing with any wordprocessing program, you may want to save your work often.

You can see the “Save Draft” button. Press it whenever you’d like. Then you need to wait for the page to reload in the saved version.

— b — Next to the Save Draft is the “Preview” button. If you press this button, you can see what your post will look like when it is published, BUT it will not be published until . . .

— c — You press the “Publish” button. Once you do publish, then, you will see the word “Update” instead of Publish.

(7) Tags:

Tags are the KEYWORDS that will provide your article with SEO, i.e., Search Engine Optimization.

Common wisdom these days is to choose phrases, rather than single words. As the instructions tell you, put a comma in between each phrase. Then press “Add” . . . and, of course, Save Draft again.

(8) Categories:

In the beginning, many people confuse tags and categories — I know I did.

Here is one way to think about categories: What are your “Ultimate Concerns”?  What do you really want to talk about in your blog?

My suggestion — which I have learned and have not yet heeded in my own blog — is to stick with ONLY five or six categories. This will be the easiest way to organize your articles for your readers, and you as well. [And I will be limiting my number of categories soon.]

NOTE: You will be given one category “Uncategorized.” The one you see that says “Family” was added by clicking on the link that says “Add New Category.” [To DELETE a category, you will need to go to the Drop Down box underneath the word Categories in the POST options where we first began.]

Some final words BEFORE this article turns into an eBook:

If you’d like to know how to insert a photo or a video [and don’t want to figure it out for yourself], then please leave a comment with your question, and either I will answer or another reader will help.