The lessons keep on coming, especially on how to do this blogging gig. While there is NO one right way to blog — or become an “A-List Blogger — there are some Best Practices that win friends and influence people.
SHARISAX IS OUT THERE will evolve and apply some new strategies in this second year, but four months ago I followed some “best practices” and began a second blog using a very consistent design with fewer categories and a list format.
This Social Media Revolution is changing our lives and our selves: As fast as we are figuring out what to do next, we hear about yet another site, another tool, or another app.
Early Adopting Tech Geeks love this stuff.
But what about the rest of us . . . especially those who may still think “blogging” is a silly word, Twitter is stupid, and Facebook is a waste of time.
How to start doing “it”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19th century American philosopher and essayist, said that
“We are all looking for someone to tell us what to do.”
That’s one of the reasons why people write books, why bookstores and libraries are great places to hang out, and why book lovers like me scour the shelves for the newest, greatest information.
Find Top Tips in these Articles:The purpose of this blog is to share some of the best advice I’m reading from the most current books on social media and internet marketing — many of these books you will want to read cover to cover.
“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:
“The panel discussionwas 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.Ā 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.
Two weeks ago I made a commitment to manage my online presence. Discipline is key, but broadcasting intentions into cyberspace has a way of keeping one on the straight and narrow. Too many people to make excuses to if objectives aren’t met.
So how have I done?
Below is my “roadmap” list, followed by my actions:
1) Make a list of WEEKLY goals {I believe I can hold to that) and check off my accomplishments EVERY Sunday night.
OOOps, I didn’t exactly write the list — except on my blog. But I am checking this Sunday night.
2) Prioritize those goals to make certain that the ones on the top of the list are done for sure.
The priorities were in my head since I didn’t write the list . . . except on the blog. Is this admission helpful to anyone? Maybe it’s a way to show the importance of ACTUALLY WRITING DOWN the list, especially if it’s a “check off” list.
3) My original intention, way back when I first posted onApril 23, was To Become an A-List Blogger — and that continues to be my Long Term Goal —
Blogging is my NUMBER ONE priority; the first week I only got to write two posts. This week, though, I’m doing well . . . one-a-day since Friday.
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4) Next, because I really believe that Twitter will become all that its creators are envisioning, my goal will be 3-5 Tweets Every Single Day! I will continue to follow my own advice on What to Tweet.
I went to check on my exact progress by looking at my profile page @sharisax: That was actually Cool as it reminded me of some of the “insights” that I’d tweeted, especially one that was RT’d several times: “If success=receiving, then first comes giving.” Anyway, I met my goal of at least 3 Tweets a day.
Most of my Tweets are posted via Friendfeed, but not always. Even though both are “microblogging” platforms, I don’t personally feel they are “interchangeable.” Friendfeed’s capacity for conversation makes some updates more appropriate for that site.
5) Facebook is a HUGE priority, especially since my partner Les Ross and I are building our Social Media/Internet Marketing consulting business Performance Social Media, which recently set up a Fan Page. We’ll be including the opportunity for small and large companies to find social media interns through us, so I’ll be monitoring and updating both my Facebook Profile and my Facebook Page EVERY Day. That means NEW content on the Facebook page at least four days a week.
Check š
I’m even adding more Business Apps to the Page, and I’ll continue reading everything I can on “Facebook for Business.”
6) I may be running out of time for Daily Tasks, but I thinking checking in and updating LinkedIn is essential. So besides that commitment, I plan to contribute to at least two LinkedIn Group Discussions every week.
OOOOps, I really did want to engage with LinkedIn groups, and TSK TSK . . . have not gotten to that yet. š
7) Finally, my new Road Map will highly suggest that I check out at least one New social media tool, strategy or app every week; by checking out, I do mean more than reading about it.
HOORAY, this one I did in spades. My previous blog post is the proof: 15 social media sites my students and I checked out last week.
Looks like I get a few gold stars and a few TSK TSKs. But the great thing is that I’m traveling faster along Revolutionary Road. And I hope I’m pulling some of you along with me. Anyone else want to report progress in managing online presence? Let us know.
I’m remembering the quote I often tell students: “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.”
Back on July 1, I started to think about “managing” my online presence, i.e., putting some routine in place primarily to help me select where I wanted to make my Web contributions. So I wrote “How do you manage your Online Social Media presence?”
In essence, I was thinking aloud. What I accomplished — and, unfortunately, all I accomplished with that post — was to ask myself to set aside time in the morning to Go Online.
But I didn’t give myself a road map. Hence, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.”
Road Map — by the numbers.
1) Step one on the road must be taking time to clarify Objectives. So I thought I’d imagine the possibilities:
a) Casual: Whenever . . . of course that’s not me. It’s really OK if that label describes you, someone who spends as little or as much time as happens to be there: checking out your Facebook page, email, Twitter account, etc. I.E., WHENEVER . . . [been there, done that]
b) Experimenter: We’re ALL experimenting here, and that is a good thing. But there’s a danger — lost opportunity and value when you never really “move off the dime.” Get out there and BUILD, don’t just keep trying new things. [been there, done that]
c) Reader: One of the greatest benefits of Twitter for me personally are all of the website references with Great Stuff. I could read and read and read. How many of us bookmark and bookmark and bookmark . . . and don’t even get to read? [been there, done that]
d) Novice Participant: Read some blogs that strike a chord and add your voice once or twice a week. Join some groups and occasionally check to see what group members are asking and answering. [been there, done that]
e) Active Contributor & Engager: This is who I WANT to be. And we all know that Today is the First Day of the Rest of Our Lives.
So what does an ACE [Active Contributor & Engager] do?
Here’s my new plan . . . and a new Number One since the Objective has been taken care of:
1) Make a list of WEEKLY goals {I believe I can hold to that) and check off my accomplishments EVERY Sunday night.
2) Prioritize those goals to make certain that the ones on the top of the list are done for sure.
3) Because my original intention, way back when I first posted on April 23, was To Become an A-List Blogger — and that continues to be my Long Term Goal — Blogging will be my top priority. One of my students got around to reading my blog last week — and liked it. He asked how often I write. My immediate answer to myself was NOT ENOUGH. So Priority Number One for me is to make certain FROM NOW ON to have 3-4 posts (or more) Every Week!
4) Next, because I really believe that Twitter will become all that its creators are envisioning, my goal will be 3-5 Tweets Every Single Day! I will continue to follow my own advice on What to Tweet.
5) Facebook is a HUGE priority, especially since my partner Les Ross and I are building our Social Media/Internet Marketing consulting business Performance Social Media, which recently set up a Fan Page. We’ll be including the opportunity for small and large companies to find social media interns through us, so I’ll be monitoring and updating both my Facebook Profile and my Facebook Page EVERY Day. That means NEW content on the Facebook page at least four days a week.
6) I may be running out of time for Daily Tasks, but I thinking checking in and updating LinkedIn is essential. So besides that commitment, I plan to contribute to at least two LinkedIn Group Discussions every week.
7) Finally, my new Road Map will highly suggest that I check out at least one New social media tool, strategy or app every week; by checking out, I do mean more than reading about it.
Good luck . . . to me . . . and everyone else out there who may want to follow my Road Map.
Let me know what you think?
Do these suggestions help you?
Do you have any others to suggest?
In the meantime, I’ll see you all “Out There.”
And, Jay [my student who asked about my blog], how’s this for a new post?
