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.
Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Sharisax Is Out There, Twitter

How Many of These Social Media Questions Can You Answer?

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My Laney College students are participating in social media to build writing and reading skills. For many of them, however, this is a significantly new experience, i.e., creating blogs and signing up for Twitter.

What is Social Media and why is it important?

and . . . here are many of their other questions:

Where can and will SM take me?

How did Social Media get so big?

Is it possible to become famous on SM?

What percentage of SM is business?

How much time do/should people spend on SM?

Who started SM?

What makes SM important?

Why are people addicted to SM?

Can SM help better the world?

Is SM safe?

What are the most popular blogs?

Who can read my blog?

Are all SM sites free?

Why has SM become popular?

What is the average age of a person using SM?

What is the main reason for using SM?

How can you detect if someone is insincere?

Today I am conducting an introductory Social Media workshop for a Mass Media & Society course at Laney. I will begin asking them to tell me which of those questions they would most like answered.

Then I will chat and show the slideshow below.

And, finally, I will ask THEM to answer any of those questions . . . and I’ll be posting their responses.

Here is the slideshow on

Making Sense of Social Media

Making Sense Of Social Media 2010

View more presentations from sharisax.

NOW . . . FOR THOSE ANSWERS: from the students AND from any of you readers. Please do add your thoughts.

photo credit Howard Blum

Guest Post

What Are the Educational Needs of Social Media Marketing?

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Guest Post by Axel Schultze

Axel Schultze was the first social media guru I brought into my Public Relations class at San Francisco State at the beginning of 2009.

He is the founder and CEO of Xeequa Corp. a social media software company, helping businesses to create a better customer experience. In addition, he began Social Media Academy in January 2009 — as well as a number of other successful enterprises.

Axel belongs to many Linkedin groups including “Social Media Academy” where I saw this excellent response to the question:

“My questions are, then, is Social Media Marketing a viable entity, or just a “flash-in-the-pan?” Is there a need for teaching the fundamentals at the post secondary level? How does one achieve expertise in this budding possibility?” — Gregory Stringer

1) Social Media MARKETING is only one aspect of social media.

That said – it is probably the biggest opportunity for marketing leaders to have more saying in a corporate strategy if they understand and appreciate the complexity of a social business. In every successful business somebody leads the charge of whatever needs to be done. Why not the marketing group. There are several reasons why marketing may lead a cross-functional social business initiative, but I’ve also seen other departments to do that including finance.

2) A social business is an organization that leverages the ongoing changes in our hyper-connected society

— in all aspects of their organization, including product management, service & support, sales, marketing, logistics, procurement and more. Often times when I mention logistics or procurement in the context of social media I see lots of question marks and hear people saying “isn’t that too far-fetched?” Well there are examples and I was involved myself in some where the supply chain was the starting point for a social media engagement – in financially very rewarding.

3) Business people will want to learn how to practically apply social media and create a social business.

While some will be OK to explore, experiment and trying to figure it out themselves, others may want to not spend the time but learn best practices, methods, models and frameworks and just execute. As we all know, there are two types of learners: The autodidact who tryes everything themselves. That is a great way of learning and allows to make mistakes in a rather conscious manner.

Typically these are early adopters. So the ones who started in social media in 2003, like me, had to learn things on their own. Then there are the ones who rather acquire knowledge in a very compact way, circumvent obvious mistakes and go apply the knowledge. Mostly in times where the market is advanced and making mistakes is no longer acceptable.

That’s why the Social Media Academy exists.

4) Therefore the educational needs are to learn and understand the following aspects of social media:

  • What is it and what is it good for
  • Learn all about the implications of social media to business
  • Where and how to start
  • Ability to assess the situation of a company and all their respective market constituencies
  • Transform the assessment into a strategy
  • Create a strategy with and for the market
  • Knowing what organizational needs to consider
  • Develop an execution plan
  • Resources, budgets, financial implication
  • Aligning the new strategy with core business objectives
  • Ability to formulate goals and targets – measure model and tune

Learning how to tweet and how to brush up a LinkedIn profile or selecting the right tools are only tactical aspects after the core strategy is defined answering the question:

“What can I do to create a better, more successful business experience for my prospects, customers, partners, vendors, employees and other relevant market constituencies.”

As such it is an obvious coincidence that the Social Media Academy leadership class has exactly that at the core of its class.
Axel   http://xeesm.com/AxelS

FURTHER READING:

Social Media Tools Week report

Twitter

Want To Get Retweeted? MOST & LEAST popular RT’d Words

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Sharing is cool, especially when people share your Tweets. Did you realize that the WORDS YOU USE can help — or hinder — your Tweets from being Retweeted?

It’s scientific. Dan Zarrella reported his research in a slideshare presentation:

The Science Of ReTweets

View more presentations from Dan Zarrella.

Most Retweeted words and phrases:

  1. you
  2. Twitter
  3. please
  4. retweet
  5. post
  6. blog
  7. social
  8. free
  9. media
  10. help
  11. Please retweet
  12. great
  13. social media
  14. 10
  15. follow
  16. how to
  17. top
  18. blog post
  19. check out
  20. new blog post

Least popular words in Tweets

  1. game
  2. going
  3. haha
  4. lol
  5. but
  6. watch
  7. work
  8. home
  9. night
  10. bed
  11. will
  12. sleep
  13. gonna
  14. hey
  15. tomorrow
  16. tired
  17. some
  18. back
  19. bored
  20. listening

What’s wrong with these words?

[a little levity]

  1. game– Anyone who spends time gaming doesn’t have the energy to Tweet
  2. going -If you are always going to do something, chances are you won’t get to it.
  3. haha – The words Twitter and Tweet are funny enough.
  4. lol – People are laughing so loudly they get their fingers on the wrong keyboard keys and they spell RT as %*.
  5. but – No one likes to hear the contradiction.
  6. watch – If you’re looking at your watch, you’ve lost focus on what matters.
  7. work – Too obvious: WORK — call it “play” and people will share; call it “work” and people will avoid.
  8. home – Did you know that the word “home” can be an adverb? Maybe people are confused.
  9. night – Re-Tweeters are otherwise occupied at night.
  10. bed – see above
  11. will – In today’s culture, we want everything NOW. Will implies “later.”
  12. sleep– See #9
  13. gonna – Bad English; shows your ignorance?
  14. hey – “Hey[hay]” is for horses, as the proverbial saying goes. We don’t like to be “hailed” that way.
  15. tomorrow – You know: when you put things off for tomorrow . . . they don’t get done [or re-tweete].
  16. tired – No, I’m not getting lazy, it’s just that #’s 9,10,12 and 16 are all related. DON’T use them if you want retweets.
  17. some – It’s All or Nothing.
  18. back – With All Things Social Media, we’re looking ahead, not back.
  19. bored – Don’t worry, the “levity” is coming to a close.
  20. listening – Can’t figure this one out: _______________________________ YOUR TURN

And if you want to learn more about the science of social media read my last post on Dan’s webinar “Why do people do what they do online.”

Sharisax Is Out There

WHY People Do What They Do Online

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The Science of Social Media Marketing:

WHY THINGS GO VIRAL

To find out, you can read student Synang Chhan’s Tips on Going Viral, but you may also want to know the scientific, i.e. observed and verifiable reasons behind the huge audiences for some Internet content — besides the fact that they are just plain funny.

Social media scientist, Dan Zarrella, conducted a webinar highlighting his research results into peoples’ behavior on the Internet. Here is what we learned to help us with our marketing strategies:

1. MYTH: Ideas spread because they are good. In reality, plenty of good ideas go nowhere, while some bad ones spread like wild fire.

2. MEME: The term is used to describe ideas that spread from person to person. Our world is made of memes — contagious units of our culture. MEMETICS is the study of cultural transfer.

3. EVOLUTION: Who or what survives? Those who compete best. What is evolution? Variation + competition = Evolution.

4. ITERATION: Try lots of campaigns and stick with what works.

5. IDEAS: These must adapt to pressures of society and be easily remembered. Ideas will be successful based on two factors: Longevity and Fecundity [# of offspring]. When you construct a campaign, you need to decide whether you are going for Long Term or for Quick Spread.

6. SOCIAL EXCHANGE: Every human action is an exchange of value.

“The more valuable an activity shared between members, the more frequently members will interact.”

7. SOCIAL PROOF: We learn by copying others. We value things that others value: because we think they know what they are doing.

8. INFORMATION VOIDS: Don’t let “voids” develop around your brand — that’s where rumors develop. Just think about Tiger Woods.

9. VIRAL: Self-replicating. Give people a reason to replicate. For example, the only way by saving a victim is by spreading a message.

10. REMIXING IDEAS: Your brand should be a box of crayons, not a rubber stamp, so that people can input suggestions — for something totally new that could go viral. Make New structure for Old content, e.g., modern Romeo & Juliet film. Make New content from and Old Structure, e.g. using an old ad design for a different product.

11. FUNNEL OF MARKETING: Exposure at top, then Awareness, and at the base is Motivation. Here is one of Dan’s articles: science of social media marketing

12. SEEDING: To gain exposure, you must reach a lot of people. Big Seeds = giving information to influential people. If you “seed” to influencers, your growth is exponential. Basic PR/Marketing strategy: Find and target Influencers.

13. COMBINED RELEVANCE: Why do people share? One reason is because friends find things [e.g. links] that are appropriate in more ways than one. For example, if your friend’s hobby is photography and she likes yoga, then you would definitely want to send photos of yoga poses you found online.

Why do YOU do do what you do online? For example, why do you retweet? The answer is scientific and the next post will show you how.

photo taken at Sausalito Art Festival 2009 – Judge’s first place pick at show

Blogging

What I Learned About Blogging and Life From Julie & Julia

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It took me awhile to see the Meryl Streep/Amy Adams film “Julie & Julia” — kind of like it took me awhile to get into blogging.

Here’s a movie story about A Blogger Who Made It.

What could be a more wonderful story for any blogger who dreams of Fame and Fortune?

So here’s how the movie can help us

1. Plan your work, and work your plan:

29-year-old Julie Powell was looking for a way to add value to her life, so she combined her creative passions for writing AND cooking into a blog with this goal: to work her way through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking by preparing 524 recipes in 365 days. And she did it . . . and got a movie deal in the process.

2. Passion helps you persevere through adversity:

Plans and projects rarely progress on a straight, smooth road. Blogging is a great example. When we start writing and publishing, we’re often very excited. But keeping it going is not easy; in fact, it’s work. And when people aren’t knocking down the doors to subscribe and comment, it is easy to get discouraged.

In the movie, both Julia Childs and Julie Powell faced roadblocks and naysayers. It was their deep emotional drive that kept them going.

I love blogging, even when I don’t have a positive response to the question: “Are you making any money yet?”

3. If you create something of value, you will gain an audience — and your dream:

Julia Childs brought French cooking to mainstream America, and 40 years later Julie Powell proved that Childs’ techniques still worked.

When companies produce rich, relevant content on blogs, webcasts, white papers, etc., this is marketing material that can both spread and last a long time.

My dream is to write articles that will help people understand the value of social media . . . and how to do it.

4. When you do gain followers, do not let them down:

In the movie, we saw how Julie Powell’s readership grew so large that mainstream media acknowledged her accomplishments. I can’t remember how much she interacted with her fans, but I do know that the power of blogging and all of social media marketing is in the power of the conversation.

I recently read a post by my friend Suzanne Vara about 9 Blogging Blunders in which she wrote:

“Thank them of course but also include how you liked a certain post as it relates back to yours.”

Blogging — and marketing and business — are all about building of relationships.

5. When people offer help, accept it when it’s appropriate:

Both cooks in the film found that they needed the support of friends and family. As bloggers we can derive great benefits from collaboration with other bloggers, both with external linking and Guest Posts. Remember, we call this SOCIAL media for a reason.

6. There’s a whole lot we can learn from history — and the experience of others:

Daaah, of course 🙂

Many movie viewers enjoyed the interplay of the 1950’s Julia Childs-in-Paris scenes with Julie Powell in 2002 New York.

Lessons are everywhere; sometimes, like with this blog article: it  maybe just being reminded.

NOTE: One “lesson” I learned many years ago seems appropriate here. Back in college I read Margaret Mead’s Coming of Age in Samoa. Her greatest finding from studying these unsophisticated natives was that for them

Work was Play and Play was Work

I’m certain that Julie and Julie felt that way about cooking. And I certainly feel that way about blogging and the whole social media phenomenon.

FURTHER READING

The back story of Julie &  Julia

Blogging Basics

Blogging

Beginner Blogger’s Workshop: What do I blog about?

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Q: Why do you want to blog?

A: Because it’s new and I want to do it.

Q: What do you want to blog about?

A: I don’t know. You tell me.

Blogging is a power strategy for Content Marketing, i.e., communicating about yourself and/or your company to win friends, followers, clients, and customers.

Six Q’s and A’s for Beginning Bloggers

1. What is blogging all about & why are so many people doing it?

Blogging is all about putting your unique voice, opinions, insights, and understandings “out there” to (a) build an online presence, (b) establish yourself as a Thought Leader, and (c) begin conversations and relationships.

Lots of people are blogging — maybe over 200 million worldwide — for a host of different reasons. Most are undoubtedly personal bloggers writing diaries for the world to see. More and more, however, companies, institutions, and nonprofit organizations are understanding that there is a Communication Revolution going on and that the way day-to-day business IS and WILL BE conducted is turning to more authentic, transparent, supportive 2-way conversations, rather than the traditional blasting out of messages.

FURTHER READING:

Answer these nine questions before you decide to become a blogger

2. What do I blog about?

Like most marketing campaigns — as well as personal planning — you should decide on an objective:

What you will blog about has everything to do with why you want to start, build and maintain your online diary/report/journal/lecture.

If you are starting a blog for commercial reasons, then you naturally want to focus your communication towards a “target” audience. Noted social media authority David Meerman Scott suggests that all message-makers should have a clear idea of their consumer profile, i.e., specific data about your prospective readers.

Once you know whom you are writing for and why, you want to make certain that you offer content that is as relevant, informative, creative, and interesting as you can make it.

What’s the very best way to write the best blog articles? Write what you are passionate about.

The best way to improve your blog is to listen to your readers and think about them before — and as — you write.

FURTHER READING:

My story of  Peter and “what to blog”

Any and all of Problogger – the hands-down online authority on How To Blog

3. How much effort will it take?

This answer, again, begins with your objective, but I suspect the real question might be: “Do I have to be writing every day to have a successful blog?”

If that is the case, then a simple answer is that Writing Consistently is more important/effective than Writing Daily.

Also, you are the one who decides whether you want short pithy blog posts like Seth Godin and Zahid Lilani or more detailed research reports like Brian Solis or something in between like Adam Singer or Suzanne Vara.

One key is to enjoy what you are doing – or it will show. Start slowly, maybe set a goal of one article a week. When you find that you want to publish more often, then find time to write twice a week . . . and so on. If you are particularly inspired on any day, then try to write an extra post or two that you can publish on a day when you have other commitments.

Another key is to realize that every time you publish new content, you are adding to your site and giving readers [some new] more and more of you. With that in mind, you want to make certain that Everything you publish is something you are proud of.

FURTHER READING:

Spend some time with the bloggers suggested above. Zahid just wrote an article on whether or not Bloggers were Writers

4. If I am not a great writer, how do I get over the fear of writing?

A Great Question! especially if you were never an English major [and what percentage of the world was?].

Here are three things to think about:

  • Writing is compulsory thought. When you put fingers on the keyboard and start typing, you “force” yourself to think.
  • To over come “writer’s block,” I tell my English composition students to have a reader in mind, e.g. your mother, your best friend, your least favorite uncle, etc. You may see how much easier it is to “talk” when you can envision who is listening.
  • Like with any skill, “practice makes perfect” — or at least better.

FURTHER READING:

Conquer the fear of writing

5. How do you get to blogs? How will people get to my blog?

Two questions here: the first is easy; the second is not so.

Finding blogs to read is as easy as going to Google or some other search engine and putting in some key words. I, personally, have not yet written about the “Fear of Writing” so I simply Googled it and came up with the link listed above.

A better way to find blogs, though, is to follow someone’s recommendation. I gave you five suggestions above, BUT all of those marvelous people write about subjects of interest to me, i.e., social media marketing.

If you want to read and or write about dogs, jewelry, moms, or fashion, you will need to find experts in those fields and (a) see if they have blogs or (b) email them and ask for blog suggestions.

SECOND PART OF THE QUESTION: How will people get to your blog, i.e., how will you get readers?

The basic reason why this is not so easy to answer is because it is not easy to get readers, but here are a few “streamlined” suggestions:

  • Write a lot. The more you write, the more Google has to index.
  • Comment on other peoples’ blogs enough and they may come to read yours.
  • Publicize your blog content on Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, etc.
  • Invite people to Guest Post on your blog.
  • Starting out, though, I’d suggest emailing all your friends and letting them know what you are up to.

FURTHER READING:

Go online and search for articles “How to Get Readers”: you’ll find countless titles, but Problogger is best.

6. What are the biggest blogging mistakes?

This is really easy. Check the Guest Post by Suzanne Vara: Avoid These 9 Blogging Blunders

And you might want to check out my own 10 Biggest Mistakes Made by Social Media Newbies

MORE QUESTIONS?

Great! Ask away in the comment section OR, better yet, add your own answers.

Blogging, Guest Post, LinkedIn

Avoid These 9 Blogging Blunders: Guest Post by Suzanne Vara

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“Blogging is a way to share your thoughts, knowledge and information like never before.  We blog for many reasons which are  unique to us as people, but yet share a community that is a part of us.” — Suzanne Vara

Suzanne Vara is one of my new online friends/collaborators/role models, whom I mentioned in a recent article about How To Choose A Blog To Read.

Suzanne and I participate in many of the same LinkedIn groups and have built a very supportive relationship, which includes reading and commenting on each other’s blogs and group discussions — truly one of the great values of the Social Web.

Her online marketing agency, Kherize5, Builds  Big Brands for Small Business and her blog offers consistently great advice and guidelines for reaping great rewards through social media marketing. We have such similar interests and goals that I look forward to each one of her posts.

Today’s article on my blog actually ran a few days ago on Suzanne’s, but her thoughtful insights regarding some commonly discussed blogging tips is definitely worth passing along to new bloggers — and experienced ones as well.

How to Improve your Blog — or start a new one

Guest Post by Suzanne Vara

As a new blogger who is trying to gain new readership we look for new ways to get as many eyes (readers) and fingers to the keys (comments) to drive us to continue to write.  Seasoned vets who have been blogging for upwards of 8 years still look for new avenues as technology changes.

Technology is a tool that we utilize to gain new eyes and fingers but the means by which we determine how, what and why we will blog have not really changed over the years.  The same fundamentals that were incorporated to be a success still hold true today:

  • Provide useful and valuable content
  • Acknowledge those who read and comment with a comment back
  • Reach out to other bloggers
  • Comment there as we are all in this together.

Pretty basic but yet there seems to be a disconnect at some point as we get busier or feel that we are not gaining traction as we believed we should.  This is not to say that veering off course from time to time is disastrous but falling off the radar is in a sense waiving the white flag of setting unrealistic goals and expectations of yourself.  Blogging is not always easy as the what if no-one reads or am I a great writer or do I really have the time to commit to this do come into play as the post itself is just a part of blogging.

Everyone makes mistakes and how we identify and correct them builds that confidence and a better blog.

9 Blogging Mistakes to Avoid

1. Inconsistency: In the beginning new bloggers have the energy and set out to post every day, even 2x a day. Great strategy if you have planned for it and reasonably set aside time to keep up with this.  As a new blogger it is advantageous to have 20 or so blogs posted when you start to promote.  Set a schedule of when you will post so that readers expect it and do return to see what is next.  Being inconsistent leads to lack of trust as you were supposed to be here but you were not.

2. Lack of Focus:  As a new blogger trying different things to determine where you fit in is what is so unique to a new blogger.  An opportunity to establish yourself and determine  your niche.  Meet the expectations of readers to develop a loyalty. It is inviting to then try and branch out from your niche and expand.  There is opportunity to do so but not always on the main blog.  Seek new ways to expand on your style with guest posting or publishing on other sites.  Grow within yourself while maintaining focus on what you are trying to accomplish with the main blog or in some cases multiple blogs.

3. Burnout:  Blogger burnout is an excuse, an enabler, a way to throw your arms up and admit defeat. There is always something to post.  A quote, an opinion on another blog, a post why you feel burnt out.  The ideas are endless.  Physical limitations are a factor and being unable to even pull a post from the “can” is completely understandable (life happens) but outside that it is setting a standard for not being committed to yourself and audience.

4. Boxed Comments:  We hear over and over again to comment on comments to our blog and comment on other blogs, and we all do, so this is not a mistake in that aspect. But, what happens when the comment is “Great post, found it useful.”  Commenting back at first thought is the “Thanks for reading and finding this useful.”  Expand on that by seeing if they have a blog and refer to their blog in your comment back.  Thank them of course but also include how you liked a certain post as it relates back to yours. What happens if they do not have  a post that relates to yours, either respectfully thank them as above or ask them a question of some sort that relates a post of theirs.

5. Fear of First:  First to post or first to comment. Why?  If you find something and see that no-one else has written about write about it.  Being the first to comment on a blog is an opportunity to be able to share your thoughts without influence of others. After you comment share the post as it  meant enough to you to comment so why not share?

6.   Complacency:  Developing your niche and readership that meet your personal goals is wonderful but not a time to sit back. What happens when you do not meet your goals or even expansion.   Complacency is convenient and assumes loyalty.  That warm jacket is nice but yet decreases in size each year.

7. Closure: Closure as it relates to the lack of putting a piece of you and who you are into the post. When providing tips or relating a strategy, throw in what has worked for you (ie this blog) something you want to or are learning more about or something personal that connects people to you. Going outside a comfort zone is not always easy but yet it is welcomed.  Whether we deem ourselves as an introvert or extrovert, we all are a part of both. We tell people what we want them to know whether this be sharing knowledge from people we admire or exposing things about ourselves.  ie every so often my son becomes a part of this blog. As a mom first instinct is to shelter and protect but yet he is a big part of my life and actually inspires my writing though his curiosity of learning all that he can.

8. Lack Luster  Headlines: Think linkbait.  The headline is the what gets the article read. The content can be so valuable but if the headline is not enticing enough to read, many overlook. Headlines for some are the easy part where with others we struggle. Look at others that enticed you to read and incorporate.

9. Blinders to Community Expansion: This somewhat goes back to complacency, the expansion of your community is almost endless.  Commenting on blogs is great but not looking at the blogs of other commentors or the blog roll of people you read is not expanding upon your community.  The opportunity exists but time does not always but at the same time, we make time for what is important to us.

As a blogger who is blogging for the betterment of the business, exposure of the business or just to share thoughts we all have our reasons but all make mistakes.  The way to get around the mistakes is to acknowledge them and improve.  So, tell me how you are improving instead of identifying with the mistakes you have made?

Learn anything new here?

Tell us in a comment below.

One of the new tips for me was #4 “Boxed comments.” You can read my comment about that on Suzanne’s original post here.

Blogging, Sharisax Is Out There

Here’s How Social Media Works — To Build Relationships & Knowledge: and improve customer service, as well!

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Chatting with friends has long been one of my favorite activities — and meeting new friends to chat with increases the joy.

Is it any wonder, then, that Social Media is my Passion?

My online activities in the past year have introduced me to so many wonderful new people from whom I’ve probably learned more than spending the same amount of time in classrooms and libraries.

Here’s today’s story:

1) My email box contained a blog post entitled ” . . . because I’m the customer” — written by Australian blogger & social media enthusiast Sharon Clews.

2) I met Sharon online after following a link on my Twitter stream, and reading one of her first posts.

3) We connected on LinkedIn and have chatted about our mutual passion: Spreading the Word about the Wealth of Opportunities possible with Social Media.

4) We now read and comment on each other’s blog posts — and I believe we add value to each other by sharing insights and suggestions.

5) I read her latest post with great interest BECAUSE it was so true and so relevant:

“I have always failed to understand why one of the most basic abilities as people; human interaction, is so difficult for some people.”

“The most amazing thing to me about customer service is that is free! . . .  It is one of the truisms of my life. It costs me no more to smile or nod or ask someone if they need help.”

“Any retail experience is not just about what things cost. I am saddened that in a world of over consumerism more people don’t vote with their feet. That we mostly still search for the bargain of a lifetime and then moan about the service we get whilst doing it.”

Here’s the REST OF THE STORY:

What’s your latest social media relationship success story?

Sharisax Is Out There

Laid Off and Bored? Use Your Brain and the Net to Become an Expert

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One of my Loved Ones was laid off recently, and now tells me he’s bored.

NO WAY!

NO HOW!

NO EXCUSE!

Not in Today’s World where so much is at our fingertips.

Just DO IT is the Common Mantra

Suggestion One: Do NOT just “fill empty spaces” — i.e., don’t DO, just to DO.

Suggestion Two: Give yourself a goal: Use your computer to become an Expert.

Suggestion Three: Research your industry to discover challenges/issues/problems that you can solve — or learn to solve.

Suggestion Three and a half: Join and build strong profiles on popular social media sites including, but not limited to, today’s Top Three: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn (so that you can become a more effective researcher).

  • Ask questions about your industry and your interests on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites.
  • Build relationships with people who answer your questions.
  • Look on LinkedIn and Ning for groups of people with similar backgrounds, and then join the conversation.
  • Build relationships and look for opportunities where you can help others.
  • Check out the websites of prospective employers; then look them up on LinkedIn to find more information that you won’t find on their websites — especially LinkedIn members who now work for the company and those who have left.

Suggestion Four: Think positive; use your brain and good intentions to become productive, happy, and valuable to yourself and others.

PS Check out these two previous posts: Updating your LinkedIn profile and Twitter 101 lessons

Your turn: What advice can you offer my bored Loved One?

Blogging

How To Choose a Blog to Read

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More than 70% of Web users agree that personal recommendations influence their purchases and selections.

So what better way to find great blogs to read than to LISTEN TO people whom you’ve grown to trust?

Five bloggers who inspire me on my educational journey down Social Media Revolutionary Road

SETH GODIN

Seth Godin is a business genius, who coined the term “permission marketing” [wikipedia entry] whose books have sold millions.

I like reading his daily witticisms because they are typically short, anecdotal, and clearly focused to make one clear point — from a common sense perspective that may too often be overlooked.

This morning I caught up on a few of his recent posts:

ADAM SINGER

Adam Singer is my favorite blogger. He’s a Gen-Y-er with a huge amount of experience in online media/marketing strategizing, and he is very creative and hip. Some of his posts I go back to over and over, for example:

and I particularly like What If

In his most recent post, Tangible Media is Becoming Obsolete, Adam gives nine reasons why digital is better — from ease of use to the building of community.

SUZANNE VARA

Suzanne runs a small business marketing agency from her new home in Las Vegas, and I discovered her blog from a LinkedIn group. Her audience is very similar to mine, i.e., people who are relatively new to marketig online. Her articles are filled with easy-to-read tips on how to get the most out of online opportunities. Here are some of my favorite posts:

Today she discusses the new news about Google Search, and how “nonspammers” can benefit.

LARRY BRAUNER

This is Larry’s birthday week, and to celebrate he has created an amazing opportunity for bloggers across the globe to share their sites on his Facebook Fan Page.

Larry’s blog covers a broad range of social networking topics, but he is most concerned with building “Best Practices” for collaboration and mutual benefits. He is knowledgeable on a diverse array of strategies and tools, especially when it comes to building a successful blog.

Check out Larry’s article on social media basics for 2010.

ZAHID LILANI

Disclosure: Zahid was one of my star students at San Francisco State, and I can safely say that I have learned at least as much from him as he learned from me. Zahid has guest posted for me, discussing Our Facebook Future.

He loves his Iphone, and loves writing about it, so you can find the latest smartphone information — as it is announced — on his blog. Today he talks about Iphone’s responsive touch screen.

“Tomorrow” [sometime in the near future] he and I will be discussing all the ways that Baby Boomers [like me] will want and need SmartPhones in our lives.

Of course, these five are not the ONLY bloggers I read, but all five are great to check out for “Getting Started”

I purposely left off some really popular people/blogs so that my readers can add their 2 cents, so “have at it.”

🙂

Sharisax Is Out There

Why Social Media is Like a Day At The Beach

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Two months ago I was in a yoga class where I sensed a whole host of similarities with my other passion — social media; hence, Top Ten Reasons Why I Love Yoga and Social Media.

Today, ten days into my Puerto Vallarta vacation, I can see how Social Media is, indeed, so much like a Day at the Beach.

Conversations with new friends

Without a doubt, the Number One reason that comes to mind is the conversations with people outside my day-to-day routine. In fact, when people ask what I like most about my annual Mexican vacation, it is exactly that: Meeting so many new interesting people to share ideas and experiences with.

Listening to their stories

Of course, Listening is the First Rule to success in Business and every kind of relationship. So many times when we meet new people, we think the way to make a great impression is to “pontificate” about our own lives. But if you think about it, how much will YOU learn just talking about yourself? Plus, my experience is that people love those who really listen attentively. Way back when I started this blog early in 2009, I shared some of my business communication tips on How to Listen better.

Learning about the local activities and customs

Whether we are visting a place for the first time, returning after a long absence, or simply coming back to a favorite location, there are always new things to find out about:

  • How to get around
  • Where are the best deals
  • What’s new and different
  • What’s traditional and not-to-be-missed

Finding people to do things with

What’s better than meeting new friends and trying out the restaurant that everyone is talking about? It’s the SHARING that makes every experience richer and more powerful. I can’t help but be reminded of a great sharing opportunity for everyone with a blog — whether you are on the beach to day or, most likely, not. My fellow Baby Boomer social media evangelist Larry Brauner is inviting everyone with a blog to post it to his fan page: While you all start collaborating with Larry and our friends online tonight, I’ll be joining a bunch of friends — new and old — at the Barcelona tappas restaurant in PV.

Enjoying life

Personally, I’m enjoying my experiences learning everything I can about all of our marvelous ways to connect, but since I’m still on vacation in Mexico [and I don’t want to get sand in my computer], it’s Off To The Beach!

BUENOS DIAS, ALL!