Category Archives: Interview

What works for your blog? Here are tips from the “Sleepy Blogger”

“Write your own blog post everyday, but spend twice as much time reading other people’s blogs — and comment,” That was just one of the valuable suggestions discussed by the Sleepy Blogger, aka Robyn Tippins, who visited my PR class at San Francisco State when we first started to learn about social media back in 2009.

Here are some of the quotes students remembered after her presentation:

“Once you get out there, people start to refer to you and this is how you become influential.”

“It’s important for your blog to create a niche so that the right people can read the right blogs and leave the right comments for the benefit of the overall conversation.”

“Word of mouth has a lot to do with success in the blogging world as it is for business in general.”

“Paid advertising on your blog can hurt you rather than help you because of all the clutter and distraction.”

“Research is essential — it makes you credible and relevant.”

“Key words and meta tags make it easier to find your blog.”

“Spend more time visiting other blogs than writing your own.”

“Get your ideas out there and personalize some of your posts to keep yourself real.”

What works for your blog?

Who are your favorite bloggers — and why?

[content taken from early post 5/2009 – but still very relevant today]

 

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Optimize Your Multi-Tasking: Wallace Jackson is your role model

Crowdsourcing is part of our online democracy, i.e., the people are asked, and the people answer.

I happen to like the way Wikipedia defines the term:

Crowdsourcing is the act of outsourcing tasks, traditionally performed by an employee, to a large group of people, through an open call.

For example, the public may be invited to develop a new technology, carry out a design task, refine or carry out the steps of an algorithm, or help capture, systematize or analyze large amounts of data.

The term has become popular with businesses, authors, and journalists as shorthand for the trend of leveraging the mass collaboration enabled by Web 2.0 technologies to achieve business goals. However, both the term and its underlying business models have attracted controversy and criticisms.

I also like the way I can use LinkedIn to reach out to the crowd with about a dozen different questions every month. And almost without fail, I get a response from one of my new social media friends Wallace Jackson. No Wonder! Wallace is one of the Top Ten Experts on LinkedIn. In fact, he’s number TWO. Check this out.

So I thought it was time to get upclose and personal with “Walls” and concentrate on questions that only he was likely to give the best response, i.e. questions about him. He has been on LinkedIn for three years, and just in case you want to know, here’s how he defines social media:“remote real-time peer-to-peer virtual human interaction via digital new media platforms.”

“If you want something done, give it to a busy man.” OK…. Cheers. Walls

Q1: Wallace, you are really “out there”: How much time do you spend answering LinkedIn questions on a daily/weekly basis?

Walls: I have no idea. I use LI Q&A as a way to optimize my multi-tasking, so when I have a minute between programming (during Compiles) or 3D Modeling (Rendering) I answer a question or two. This adds up over time, and my weekly output ends up being between 150 questions per week (21 per day, 1.5 per hour) and 350 questions (50 per day, 3 per hour).

Note that as a programmer I can type very fast, and my answers are also concise and to the point, so I’m not spending as much time as one might think I am due to a very fine-tuned work process across multiple workstations

Q2. WHY do you do this? [i.e. why might others consider this strategy]

I do this because I have the knowledge to point people in the right direction, as many questions are about technology, and to connect executives with my connections in the industry for creating new business synergies. The exposure in LinkedIn’s social media “engine” is not bad either, for an API programmer who creates custom new media apps on all types of platform “engines,” including social media platforms, virtual worlds platforms, i3D game engines, SmartPhone platforms (Android) and recently iTV platforms (JavaTV) and e-Signage networks.

Q3. Where do you believe Marketing is headed, and what do companies need to do to LEARN what they need to know?

I believe marketing is (must be) headed to the same place where the consumers (your customers) are headed, which is called “Internet 2.0” or portable consumer electronics devices, which are essentially computers in the palm of your hand, and 3D of course, which is a huge phenomenon in Television (3DTVs), Film (IMAX 3D), Print and Mobile (Lenticular Overlays), i3D Game Consoles (driving the industry), PCs, Laptops and even now in HD audio (OpenAL and 3D Radio).

The reason we are brought in to do new media production for ad agencies, marketing agencies, and international brands is that it is too vast to learn these digital technologies unless an individual has been progressing with these technologies since their inceptions, and most of the new platforms now include (are based on) open source (no hand holding) and require fairly high-level programming. This is also true of 3D technology.

Q4. What are the key things you’d like to tell people about “MultiMedia”?

Multimedia is the next phase of enhancement to all manners of platforms/engines currently, Social Media, Virtual Worlds, iTVs, SmartPhones, Internet, eBooks and eSignage. Interactivity will be the name of the game and the next level of new media, spurred by Touchscreens and Multi-Touch technologies.

Many current platforms also use open source, I am currently programming projects for instance in JavaSE (Android), JavaFX (WinMo and Internet), Python (Virtual Worlds), Lua (iTVs), JavaTV, GoogleTV, CSS3, HTML5 and JavaScript. All Open Source and Free for Commercial Use. No Flash in sight. The multimedia that will be fast, viral and popular will be small in data footprint and rendered interactively on the client-device (the processor inside your phone or iTV).

Have you gotten LI answers from Wallace?

Got any more questions for him? Ask a busy man . . .

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How to Inspire the AHA Moment: Ask Anne

Expatriate Coach Anne Egros uses social media to check in back home, especially with LinkedIn — where I met her via a comment on the guest post by Victoria Ipri:

8 Tips to Get Astounding Results with LinkedIn

Anne Egros, Pharm D, is an independent professional coach, based in Brussels, the Capital of Europe and home to international organizations including EU & NATO.

She has been an expatriate for 20 years, working at management levels for Fortune 500 companies in USA, Japan and Europe. She understands the needs and challenges of global leaders and international managers in multicultural environments.

A member of ICF, the International Coach Federation, Anne has always been passionate at inspiring people to become effective multi-cultural team leaders focusing on excellence in getting results and people development across borders.

Meet Anne: founder of Zest and Zen International

How Anne got her social media start:

It all began on LinkedIn after an invitation by a Japanese colleague from Tokyo in 2005.

“LinkedIn helped me keep clients overseas and get new ones very rapidly when I moved from Atlanta to Brussels in 2009.”

Other social media sites now fit into her business model:

As an expat who moves to different countries every three to five years, she sees great potential building and maintaining relationships all over the world via online platforms.

“I typically coach individuals abroad who seek support from people who have significant business experience with deep understanding of expat issues both professionally and personally.

“When I post a discussion on LI, people who relate will contact me. Then I offer a complementary coaching session via phone, Skype, or in person.”

Anne opened a Facebook account in 2009, but she shut it down because she didn’t like sharing personal things on a public place. Her Twitter experience began and ended abruptly when she didn’t get it initially. Then she met a business owner who explained how to find followers — and great value. [Twitter is where she found me.]

“I learn a lot by searching by key words, and I love the serendipity and spirit of true networkers who offer meaningful connections. For now, though, Twitter is not generating a lot of traffic to my website. LinkedIn has a much larger ROI, but I’m open to seeing greater rewards from Twitter in the future.”

What philosophies underlie Anne’s practice?

  • Her company motto: “The enjoyment you get from life is equal to the positive and creative energy you put into it; that is the essence of Zest. Add the wisdom of Zen and you get the vision, purpose and strength to meet daily challenges with confidence.”
  • “People with clear purpose and vision can make a difference in their own lives and in others.”
  • Japanese proverb: “Vision without action is a daydream; action without vision is a nightmare.”
  • Friedrich Nietzsche: “What does not kill you makes you stronger.”

Fitting social media into a typical day’s activities:

  1. Wake at 6:30 and prepare breakfast for family, check on emails.
  2. Bring kids to school, stop at the gym for an hour of dance or aerobics, etc.
  3. At home, check email, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
  4. Coach clients via phone or in person.
  5. Lunch with a new person once a week.
  6. Two hours a day on her blog and other social media sites.
  7. Taking care of family in the evening.

“I spend about two hours a day with social media, trying to write one or two blog posts per week and 3-5 discussions per week on LinkedIn.”

How Anne describes her Work Life:

“I love learning new stuff and am an Information Addict. I enjoy making a difference in the lives of others, especially by helping them discover what they really want — and become Masters of their own lives: (1) lighting inner fires and  (2) transforming fear and negative self-talk into positive thinking.

Here’s your chance: Ask Anne . . . How to reach that AHA moment.

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When Mayo Clinic Openly Values Social Media, Can Rest of World Be Far Behind?

Mayo Clinic is opening a Center for Social Media to train other health care organizations to use Twitter, YouTube and Facebook to connect patients and doctors. The new center will run workshops, offer consulting and host conferences.

This article is actually about two topics and one question:

1) How a top U.S. hospital recognizes the power and the benefits of social media

2) How social media learners can keep up with the latest news and trends

and . . .

3) Why do some people/organizations still think social media is a fad?

Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of virtually every type of complex illness. Continually featured in traditional media sources as one of the most reputable and advanced organizations in the hospital industry, the Mayo Clinic is advancing its leadership among health care providers by opening this new social media center focusing on health care.

The real focus is looking for ways to increase the use of social media throughout the practice at Mayo — to provide in-depth information for patients in a much more comprehensive way, and to create connections between researchers, physicians and staff. Up until now we’ve had the equivalent of a person and a half working through the P.R. department, and we want to take that same model to the whole enterprise at Mayo. We’ll have the equivalent of about eight full-time employees, including a medical director,” said Lee Aase, Mayo’s top social media guru.

[Lee’s quote here and below from an interview with Wall Street Journal]

Mayo Clinic’s foray into social media began with podcasting in 2005

Currently, Mayo Clinic has the most popular medical provider channel on YouTube and more than 60,000 “followers” on Twitter, as well as an active Facebook page with well over 20,000 connections. With its News BlogPodcast Blog and Sharing Mayo Clinic, a blog that enables patients and employees to tell their Mayo Clinic stories.

Mayo has been a pioneer in hospital blogging. MayoClinic.com, Mayo’s consumer health information site, also hosts a dozen blogs on topics ranging from Alzheimer’s to The Mayo Clinic Diet.

Mayo has also used social media tools for internal communications, beginning in 2008 with a blog to promote employee conversations relating to the organization’s strategic plan, and including innovative use of video and a hybrid “insider” newsletter/blog. This employee engagement contributes to Mayo Clinic being recognized among Fortune magazine’s “Best Places to Work.”

Why would a busy doctor want to spend the time to learn how to use YouTube?

This is building on the interest that we’ve already had. There is immense interest from clinical departments — they want to be able to harness these tools to do their business. We want to create a curriculum that’s scalable and enables us to provide them with training when they want it.” Lee

What’s the goal?

To help patients. Sometimes that means providing information directly to them, and sometimes it means disseminating information more rapidly to the medical community.” Lee

Social Media ethos: “You share what you are learning”

One of my favorite bloggers Valeria Maltoni wrote about the Mayo Clinic announcement in this post: CONVERSATION AGENT. Among her facts was that only 762 of the more than 5,000 hospitals in the U.S. have some social networking presence. Demand for health-related online information and support is strong and will only be increasing, according to Ed Bennett’s Hospital Social Networking List.

Shel Holtz, hugely respected corporate communication pro/podcaster/social media guru , interviewed Lee Aase for his August 5 podcast: Listen and hear how Mayo Clinic believes that individuals have the right to advocate for their own health care.

And now the $64.000 question: Why do some people/organizations still think social media is a fad?

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No Time for Social Media Activities? Check out a Virtual Assistant

Not everyone can spend the day Tweeting, Linking, Blogging, and Facebook-ing — even if he or she wants to. That’s why my friend and fellow BACN member, Mike Van Horn hired Andrea Dwyer and introduced her to me:

I want to connect you with Andrea Dwyer, the VA who helps me with biz social media.

Because she’s doing a very good job for me, I’m connecting her with others who might be able to use her. In your case, my thought is that you teach people how to use social media, and get them started, but I don’t think you’re handling their day-to-day SM support needs. But lord knows we need just that! So Andrea is one who can handle their ongoing support in an affordable way.

Ever wonder what your time is worth? Perhaps a VA could be just the ticket . . . to ride to the top.

Meet Andrea and her chosen profession:

Can you define exactly what a Virtual Assistant is?

A virtual assistant (VA) is the Go-To person who provides a variety of support services, so that the employer can focus on the growth and success of his or her business/career. The International Assistant Organization defines a VA as

an independent contractor who (from a remote location, usually a home or personal office) supports multiple clients in a variety of industries by providing administrative, creative, and technical services.

What do VA’s do?

Most VA’s specialize in one area. Here are few more things a VA can help with:
  • Desktop Publishing
  • Article Submissions
  • PowerPoint Presentations
  • Newsletters
  • Web Page Design and/or Maintenance
  • Travel Arrangements
  • Internet Research
  • Appointment Scheduling
  • Calendar Management
I specialize in social media and assist with the following:
  • Blog Creation & Management
  • SEO / Keyword Research & Reporting
  • Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn Page Support and Status Management
  • Twitter Background Creation

How did you personally get involved in this type of work?

My husband and I moved from Boston to the Caribbean, and I wanted to keep working and start my own business — something that challenged me technically and allowed me to relocate anywhere in the world. Virtual assisting was the best option.

When I started my business nine  months before leaving the States, I had no idea I would enjoy the work as much as I do. Now, I’m back in Atlanta and still going strong.

Can you describe some of your clients?

My clients include a very busy vice chair at a high profile city hospital, a software provider in the staffing industry, a patent law association, a real estate agent, a business coach and a marketing and communications consultant in higher education.

Each client has different needs and requires different hours each week. I have a couple clients that contact me a few times a year to work on specific projects.

Recognizing that there can probably never be a typical day, what does one day in the life of Andrea Dwyer look like?

Very true, every day is different. I love the variety. Recently, one day included these activities:
  • 8:15-9am Check voice mails and transcribe messages into a bulleted email for client A.
  • 9-9:30am Check emails, check calender with tasks pending from the previous day.
  • 9:30-11am Follow up with software deliveries for client B. Conduct kick-off calls and set up software systems for customers of this client.
  • 11am-12pm Conduct research on the Internet to determine which insurance companies cover volcano insurance for client A’s up-coming business trip to Europe.
  • 12pm-1pm Eat lunch at my desk, check if social media action items were carried out by client C after our last call. Based on social media goals discussed with client C conduct research for popular keywords and twitter hashtags and provide email instruction on Facebook and Twitter modifications/additions. Add Clients C’s tweets to his socialoomph account.
  • 1pm-2pm Conduct a training session for Client B’s customers.
  • 2:-2:30pm Weekly check in for twitter contest conducted by client D. Provide feedback to client in an email.
  • 2:30-3:00pm Call client C to walk through how to set up lists and change privacy setting in Facebook.
  • 3-4pm Follow up with software deliveries for client B. Conduct more kick-off calls and set up software systems for customers of this client.
  • 4-6pm Depending on which client has urgent or high priority business requirements, perform duties and tasks requested.

What are your favorite activities and why?

I enjoy working with clients on their social media goals, problem solving, researching trends on their behalf, learning new and effective techniques and applying them accordingly. I get excited when a client sends me a desktop publishing project and gives me creative license to design the layout however I choose.

Do you have any really cool client stories/anecdotes you can share?

I love what I do. I find my contributions to small business owners very rewarding. My busy clients are very grateful that I provide relief.

My favorite story is when a client called me on a Saturday to extend a business trip to a conference from Boston to DC, but more importantly needed to make it back to his son’s basketball awards ceremony right in the middle of the conference, then back to DC to give a presentation. I spent two hours that Saturday morning researching every possible travel option (car options, train schedules and flight schedules).

Luckily this client was flexible and trusted me to present a viable solution. In the end, with multiple flights and a comfortable train ride, this client not only attended his son’s memorable event, but he made it to his presentation on time, well rested and prepared.

One of my clients needed assistance starting a Twitter account. She realized the importance of starting Twitter for her consulting business, but she was apprehensive and overwhelmed. We discussed her goals and determined that with her business model it was best to focus locally as an industry expert. I created a plan and timeline for this client. I recommended applicable SEO keywords and hashtags and set up access to helpful tools.

This client was much more comfortable adding status updates and actually enjoyed using Twitter over time. I was very impressed with her effort and saw her attitude towards Twitter shift. Two months later, we Googled her name and found that she was listed twice in the top three results. She was also listed on a blog as one of the top 5 experts to follow in her field. The best part was her excitement and gratitude for the hard work we completed together to successfully achieve her goal.

Do you have a philosophy or other describable attitude about Social Media and its application for business?

Yes, approach social media with a positive attitude. Think about what you want to achieve professionally with social media and implement a plan to reach those goals. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Set aside time to learn the basics. And, don’t forget to have fun with it.

How do people decide what to pay their Virtual Assistants?

You get what you pay for when it comes to hiring Virtual Assistants. You will find a variety of skills and experiences — ranging from entry level to off-shore VA’s to tech-savvy certified VA’s.

Some people mainly do simple tasks like adding calendar appointments and inputting data while others can analyze your business requirements. You need to figure out what your own time is worth and how outsourcing to a VA may save a great deal of money long term. A certified, highly proficient VA will range from $20-$50/hour depending on the client’s need.

AND, any other questions that you would love to answer?

Favorite quote – I am an animal lover. So, this is figurative. But, when work is hectic and you have too much on your plate, ask yourself “How do you eat an elephant?” Answer, “One bite at a time.” My husband told me that one.

Andrea Dwyer, CVA
Principal, Virtual Assistant
STAFF ADVANTAGE
Providing Virtual Assistance to Give You a Professional Advantage
t: 404-556-0156 | skype: Andrea_Dwyer
Adwyer@staff-advantage.com | www.staff-advantage.com
Visit our blog, LinkedIn page and twitter page

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How to Un-Bury the Book You’ve Got in You

SEO and the “Synergy of Internet Marketing” lead to Ghost-Writing

Actually, it’s The Way of the Web: one online interaction . . . leads to a relationship . . . leads to a business opportunity.

I’m not going to “tease” you [or bore you] with all the names and places, but Kerry Zukus and I started to chat online after our speaking gigs for a  national SEO conference were cancelled. The email exchange was fun and we decided to chat on the phone. Kerry was so fascinating I didn’t want to hang up.

Kerry Zukus is a GHOST WRITER, and I had to know more about him and how his chosen field figures into my studies of All Things Social Media.

Kerry’s debut novel, The Fourth House was a featured selection of The Book of the Month Club®, and he has held the position of Head Writer, General Manager, and Senior Writer, overseeing and editing hundreds of books by other writers — including working  invisibly behind the scenes for years, ghostwriting numerous best-selling books in a wide variety of genres.

He presently has on submission two major co-writing projects: In Search of Heroes — What Really Happened Inside the “Hotel Rwanda” with Edouard Kayihura, and Football Widow, with Kelci Stringer, the widow of NFL Pro Bowl-er Korey Stringer, the first and only NFL player to die on the playing field.

Now here’s Kerry:

who could be your “Secret” to getting that book written

“Ghostwriting requires the absence of ego, a kind and empathetic soul, a thespian’s ear, a diligent work ethic, a love for loneliness, a sense of humor, a love of all learning, a passing knowledge of everything, patience, loyalty, stability, and a character worthy of trust.”

What are the three things you like MOST about ghost writing?

1.  You learn.  Although most clients wish for you to have at least a passing knowledge of their topic, they almost always know more about it than you do.  Thus, it is like taking an intensive college course for free.

“Lifetime learning is cool beans.”

2.  You can’t beat the hours and the work setting.  If I need a day off, I take it.  If I need to run an errand, I don’t have to rearrange the world to do it.  My primary work attire is boxer shorts and nothing more.  I’ll bet that freaks you out as you are imagining me at work right now.  I can also use a plethora of obscene hand gestures — and I do — while working with my clients if the spirit moves me, since most of our interactions are via the phone and I don’t have any co-workers or supervisors to catch me at it.

3.  While I may be a freelancer, I’ve found I have a lot more job security than most.  It never amazes me how many people seek this particular and unique service despite the present economy.  Once you’re in, you can pretty much take on all the work you can handle.  You may not always get top dollar, but you can at least keep the cash flow going.  Also, if there’s any ageism at all, it works in favor of us more “mature” writers.

“Getting older actually means getting more gigs.  Clients don’t like noobs and most clients are not kids themselves.”

What are your three least favorite things?

Only three?

1.  Being asked the commercial prospects of a book.  An infinitesimal number of books make a ton of money, yet everyone thinks theirs will be the one.  Most times I can tell in the first minute whether a book has a shot at that kind of success and 99% of the time I know within that minute that it won’t, but I have to still feign enthusiasm for the client’s sake.  This does not mean I mislead.  What I have to do is avoid the subject as much as possible.

The thing is, if having a book make you a millionaire is your goal, you’re creating a book for all the wrong reasons.  A book should simply be looked at as part of an overall platform.  Books can make you money, but not if all you do is hire me to write it for you and then you sit with your feet propped up, waiting for the world to bang down your door.

2.  Like most occupations yet perhaps more, a measurable percentage of your clientele is certifiable.  When your client starts telling you about the voices in her head or that her book will change the world — the entire world — you know you’re in for a spin.  I usually get those kinds of projects through agencies I am listed with.  The way it usually happens is that I get hired far too easily for far too much money when I am far too desperate for grocery money.  Gotta watch that.

3.  For as much as a ghost must accept anonymity and total absence of creative control, you wouldn’t be human if those things didn’t bug you at least a little from time to time.  The ones that get me the most are fiction ghostings.  I mean, here are people hiring other people to make up stories for them from whole cloth.  This differs greatly from the subject matter expert who simply doesn’t write well or doesn’t have the time.

“The aspiring novelist who hires someone else to write his or her novel is nothing more than a fraud trying to impress people.  Hard to not choke on that.”

Has social media changed ghost writing in any way?

A little, not a lot.  I think it’s made it easier for us all to make connections with one another.  Agencies are finding me more easily; I’m finding them more easily, more clients are finding me directly more easily, and so forth.  The clients are using social media more to market their books, and as that is working, they are coming back more frequently for subsequent books.  Less and less of them are finding themselves in the classic situation of having a book created and then simply ending up with a garage full of unsold books.

How has new technology changed publishing AND ghost writing?

This spins off of the previous question.  Add to that answer the fact that self-publishing has become far easier and more accessible to the masses.  Print-on-Demand (POD) appeals to a lot of people, and e-books are really becoming the rage.  Less and less of the public are buying their books in brick and mortar stores, which only benefits the self-published author.  This affects the ghost, again, by making the creation of a book far more attractive to the potential client, which ups the volume of our business.

What advice do you have for people working with ghost writers?

The advice I have would require an entire separate article, and a good article at that.  I suppose I would begin by saying that one should not shy from using one.  Too may people are afraid to use a ghost and thus never get that book written.  Secondly, get a good experienced one.  Get to know them; don’t just sign a contract with a stranger.  This is a very personal and intense relationship.

“We ghosts often refer to ourselves as underpaid shrinks.  We hear it all.”

You have to find someone you’re that comfortable with.

Bear in mind that, while the ghost will be doing most of the heavy lifting, the client also has responsibilities.  You have to make time to convey to the ghost what you want written.  If you are the world’s greatest fly fisherman, you have to tell me all about fly fishing.  You can’t expect me to look it all up myself; that would defeat the purpose of your book entirely.

It’s supposed to be YOUR book, containing YOUR viewpoints and expertise.  You must make time for this.  You must also make time to review the ghost’s work.  If you are sent three chapters to look over and you hold them for six months, you can’t complain that the book is taking too long to finish.  The ghost can only work as fast as the client.

Ghosts need not be local to you.  I have never met most of my clients face-to-face, ever.  Yet we do good work together — phone, Skype, whatever.  My last project was for a client in another country who cannot even visit America (it’s a long story).

What are the best ways to become a ghost writer?

I have worked as an agency head, matching people with other ghosts.  While most ghosts come from the worlds of journalism or advertising, the single best calling card for a potential ghost is the proven ability to write a full-length book.  I can’t tell you how many “ghosts” I hired that I had to fire because they only had experience in what I call “the short form” (e.g., newspapers, magazines, blogs).

“A book is a book is a book.  It is to writing what a marathon is to running.”

Some people can do it while others cannot.  Once you’ve proven you can write a full-length book — and it’s best if it’s been published, particularly traditionally publishing, for that proves your talent has been “peer reviewed” — getting into ghosting is rather easy.  You can always contact potential clients yourself or start a business; although it is often best to start with one of the many agencies out there.  Prove yourself not only talented but, most importantly, dependable, and you’ll flourish.

Got any more questions for Kerry? Or maybe a gig? Or maybe you’re  a ghost writer with a different take on things. Let us hear from you.

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PR Pros Must Become Technology Experts

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.

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Friends Become Good Clients via Social Web

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.

🙂

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

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

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“Please Contact Me If I Can Be of Assistance” — Gregory Stringer

With TEN LinkedIn groups in common, it is no wonder that Gregory Stringer and I have become online buddies. We met on the Future Social Media group in response to Endaf Kerfoot’s invitation to introduce ourselves. Here was Gregory’s response:

Hi! I am a student of e-Commerce, currently seeking my AAS in Web Design. I will be going forward to earn undergraduate and advanced degrees in e-Business. I’m always open to connecting with like-minded others. Please contact me if I may be of assistance.

I took him up on his “offer” — not so much for assistance but just to connect and share ideas . . .  and we have, i.e., commenting on each other’s blogs; emailing questions & answers; tweeting updates; and Gregory even contributed an article for this blog: Tips for Teachers who want to blog

His background in both technical and business disciplines combines “high-tech adroitness with industrial métier” [from his LinkedIn  profile] as he seeks a career as an E-commerce specialist.

Here are some of Gregory’s views on the Social Media Revolution and his role in Future Social Media.

Interview:

Gregory Stringer, Social Media Learner & Thought Leader

What inspired your interest in social media?

My own induction to Social Media began with an off-hand remark from my Introduction to Communication Technologies professor, Walt Reedy, at Pellissippi State Community College in 2009, where I am currently seeking an AAS degree in Web Design.

Professor Reedy mentioned a course on lynda.com about Social Media Marketing. I was very new to Social Media, and it was part of the course to write a blog. I began to explore such sites as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace. I was immediately hooked by the concept of Internet community, and since I already had earned an Institutional Certificate in e-Commerce, decided at that time that this was what I wanted to specialize in.

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

I think first and foremost a love for the ability to communicate. One must be companionable and have a genuine attentiveness in the interest of others. Also, an understanding of Internet technologies is paramount. These two dissimilar disciplines should be mastered to some degree, ideally achieved through a post secondary education.

To have a passion for the phenomenon goes without saying. e-Mail, updates on Twitter, and maintenance of a presence on Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as other lesser known social Internet communities are commanding aspirations.

What advice can you offer others who want to embark on this “Long and Winding Road”?

My personal suggestion would be to study subjects that are consistent with Web design, e.g. HTML, Photoshop, Internet technologies, site design, etc., as well as courses in psychology, sociology, communications, and all aspects of e-Business. Predominant among these would be elucidation, expression, and interchange.

In addition, there is no substitute for practical experience. Starting a blog on Edublogs.org, a site known for student blogs, and where there is a wealth of assistance for beginners, Twitter, by reading the tweets of others and doing a few of your own, establishment of Facebook and MySpace pages, again accessing the sites of others more experienced, and most importantly, becoming a member of LinkedIn.

What kind of tips do you have in writing stories?

When I first became a magician, my mentors explained that in creating and performing a well performed illusion should be like a story: that is, it should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Therefore, a great assistance for me when I started was to read the blogs and tweets of others. Two of the best I can recommend are Sharisax is Out There and (growl) Practical Marketing Solutions. Also, for the beginner, edublogs is hard to beat.

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

My own greatest accomplishment in the field of Social Media would likely be my gaining an assignment as a Social Media Marketing intern. Of course, having the assistance of mentors/teachers such as Shari Weiss, Mark Schaefer, Walt Reedy. and many others have given me the guidance and instruction which made this possible. My future goal is simply to finish my education and gain my undergraduate and advanced degrees. Only then will I consider myself a true Social Media professional.

What do you have to say to those who want to use your ideas to promote their business?

One of the greatest things in Social Media is the fact that so many successful participants are willing to share. This is how I learn. I welcome others to do the same with me. My own blog, Grannelle’s Social Media, currently a school project that will evolve into a personal project, is a great way to see how I have developed. I invite everyone to read it to see how things can and will improve with time and effort.

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Just Starting Your Blog? — Meet Lyndit, Who Just Didit

Lyndi Thompson is an M&M peanut-aholic and treehugger-wannabe, but she has also taken her nerdy HTML and CSS skills into the Blogosphere with her new blog lyndit.com.

I met Lyndit in Twitterville after she happened upon my article on 10 Mistakes Made by Social Media Newbies. Apparently Lyndit didn’t want to make any of them, and she even mentioned the article in her first post Listening — First Pillar of Social Media:

Whenever I am working with a new small business or even a larger company, my first advice to them is to listen. Listen to how people are currently talking about your business, products and competitors.

Listening is one of the core foundational skills that all people working within the marketing field must master. To effectively reach customers, we have to listen to them.

“Not listening enough at first to understand the workings and sentiments of a community” 10 Mistakes Made by Social Media Newbies

I liked her personality right off and thought my readers might benefit from —

Lyndi Thompson’s Getting Started Blogging Story:

Q1: Lyndit [as she likes to be called], how did you get started in social media?

Lyndi: The precise moment that I went from a nerdy caterpillar into a social butterfly must have been when MySpace appeared on the scene. My geeky online coding skills had even the high school cheerleaders green-eyed with jealousy.

Seriously . . . over a MySpace page?

Soon after, I started helping small businesses create their own presence on MySpace.

Q2: Let’s talk about MySpace. I didn’t get techie until MySpace was on the way down . . . but, honestly, I think it’s a shame. I like the idea of being able to DESIGN your own space and not [like Facebook] have the same platform as all my “Friends.”

How do you feel about that?

Lyndit: MySpace was originally created for up&coming musicians to showcase their work. The flexibility of MySpace was appealing because you could customize your page to brand it exactly how you wanted.

But just think about it. Can you imagine that every time, you went to someone’s home, there was a different way to get in the door. Finding the bathroom might be like trying to make your way through a rowdy party.

Personal pages were littered with animated graphics, hundreds of quotes, videos, and tons of content. It became almost impossible to interact with the profile.

Facebook took the idea of interacting Front and Center with the Wall. Facebook appealed to me as a place for a different profile of a person. Gone were the spam-y friend requests and glittering distractions – just a place for me to interact with my friends and family.

Q3 Hmmm . . . I’m going to play with MySpace, but I’m happy to have the “back story.”

So Lyndit, why did you start your blog?

Lyndit: Developing a strong personal brand is definitely an asset that I wanted to invest in for the future.

What I was looking for was a place to serve as a sort of campfire – to share ideas and pass on stories that I’ve heard from marketing professionals. So my objective is to provide a place for me to share, listen, learn, engage, and be a true and genuine marketing professional.

Q4: How did you learn to start your blog, and what obstacles have you had to overcome?

Lyndit: For the past year, I had had the pleasure of getting my feet wet working with MazdasNW.com, a WordPress site on which I wrote blog posts and created banners for events. I really fell in love with the seemingly endless options that the WordPress community had created.

Initially, Blogger kept me satisfied with its simplistic editor, and I still recommend it for those who want an enjoyable, easy-to-use platform.
However, WordPress raises the bar, allowing more versatility.

On an almost daily basis, WordPress’s library of plug-ins and themes are increasing exponentially. If you can’t find a particular functionality, you just haven’t looked hard enough. By a simple installation of a plug-in, you cannot do a host of ecommerce functions including very complex accounts.

Q5: What do you think is the Number One struggle for new bloggers?

Lyndit: Creating space in our often jam-packed busy lives for writing, interviewing, finding photos, design and editing is a huge challenge. Stealing attention, focus, and energy away from the normal hustle and bustle of my life was essential to work on Lyndit.com.

I applaud all writers, artists, entrepreneurs and visionaries for following their passions, and I look to experts to find inspiration and encouragement — as well as comical ways to relate to the common mud puddles that bloggers sometimes seem to step in. Comedy is found in every corner of the creative world. We laugh together because we know it’s true.

Lyndit lives out “in the sticks” in Washington State. She is the proud owner of two border collies, a cat, a guinea pig, a dwarf rabbit, a horse, and a donkey. And even though she’s never lived outside the state, you’ll find her globally on Twitter @lyndit and lyndit.com
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Social Media Has A PR Problem

“Social Media’s PR Problem” was the title of the September 17 blog post by Janis Johnson, whom I met AFTER we both attended a panel discussion featuring four Bay Area social media practitioners in an event sponsored by the North Bay chapter of Women in Consulting (WIC), a San Francisco Bay area organization with more than 400 members.

Janis introduced herself to me online the day after the meeting when she posted a comment on my Performance Social Media Ning site:

jjohnson

“The panel discussion was both informative and provocative. I wrote my own blog entry. Social Media’s PR Problem, after this and a day of other social media online seminars.”

As an award-winning journalist and PR practitioner for many years, Janis recognizes the inevitability of learning about — and accepting — social media, but she sees a huge divide between Those Who Know and Those Who Don’t.

Here are some of Janis’ observations from her article:

  • “Social media has changed the business of PR and marketing, forcing countless communicators to jump on a fast-moving train without knowing where they are headed and lacking solid preparation for the unfamiliar new territory, customs, and language.”
  • “Clearly the biggest hurdle for the plunge into social media is how to get started.  Next is the equally significant challenge of implementation — investing the expertise, time and resources for success over time.”
  • “As in any marketing initiative, a thoughtful analytical process should occur at the outset to determine what behavior a company or nonprofit is trying to drive and to define the desired endpoints of social media initiatives.”
  • “Social media to cultivate, grow and sell is not play, it’s a serious business of communications and relationship-building.”

Janis has always been fascinated by people and their stories

A born writer who wanted to be a journalist from an early age, she started her career on a medium-size metro newspaper. She earned the opportunity to join the staff of the Washington Post and later was a columnist and contributor for several Knight Ridder newspapers and the Knight Ridder Washington Bureau.

After 25 years as an award-winning journalist, she formed her own consulting firm, Johnson Consulting: Strategic Communication to help organizations tell their stories from an insider point of view, rather than as a media reporter.

“Technology has changed so much these days, but communications is still basically telling your story in the simplest way that you can. And there are many ways to do that. Of course, social media is a brand new way,” she said.

One thing has not changed, according to Janis, and that is the focus. “Most effective communication answers the question: ‘What does the audience need and want to know?'”

What does the audience need and want to know?

You cannot base the answer to this question on assumptions. You do need to listen. And that goes for people who teach social media strategies as well as other businesses and groups. The PR problem for social media is the Digital Divide, and this isn’t just a chronological thing. The Divide is about aptitude, interest, and time.

At the event Janis and I attended, the WIC members needed a more bite-sized, step-by-step approach. “This is a process, and a lot of people need everything broken down. You have to help people learn from the point where they are,” Janis said. When educators get hip to that, then social media’s PR problem can be solved.

What these consultants needed was the presentation on social media basics by Patrick Schwerdtfeger

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