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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Should you do the Social Media "thing"?


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So here’s my gripe. I always here people talking about whether the social media “thing” is a good thing or if it’s a bad thing. Here’s my problem… Who cares – it doesn’t matter. It just is what it is. When the cell phone became popular did people talk about the positives and negatives? Probably – but I think I only know 1 person who is an adult who doesn’t have a cell phone. In fact, I don’t even have a home phone – just a cell phone.

So here’s the deal. It is what it is and the face book, the twitter, the whatever are all avenues of communication that you can use to communicate with whomever you want.

Yes – if you’re dumb about it and say things that are inappropriate or can cost you your job then maybe you deserve it. Just be smart about it. If you partied at a kegger this past weekend do all of your clients and co-workers really need to know that? Probably not – keep that crap to yourself or to your personal and private facebook page.

Use your blog, twitter accounts, linked in account and public facebook pages to share your knowledge, your thoughts and opinions and most of all information that people will find interesting and helpful. It’s all about being real, authentic, and actually giving a crap about others.

The bottom line… If you really don’t care then don’t bother. It is time consuming and it takes effort to keep up with. But at the same time – if you do care and actually have things to say that can help others then why keep it to yourself? Put yourself out there, position yourself the way you want others to see you. You hold the power in your own hands now.

Is it a good thing? Yes! Should you do it? Yes – if you give a crap.

That’s all.

Happy New Year to all my fellow Jewish Friends.

By The Way - http://thecynicalgirl.com/ Laurie Ruettimann - Amen sister. Read her blog. It's great.

2 comments:

  1. Yes, yes and...Yes!!
    It does really matter how you use the resources that are available to you. It's also important to understand that any one specific individual, unless you're Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, cannot 100% control the trends of new technologies so marketers need to be aware of what will be their most effective tools.
    With the increased usage of social media by non-techie people and people who just want to jump on the band wagon, it's important to make sure your messages don't just become another added decibel to internet white noise.
    This article http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662490/nussbaum-among-gen-y-the-facebook-backlash-has-arrived by Bruce Nussbaum of Parson/New School, is a sort of revelation about our generation, the Gen Y demographic. We grew up accustomed to instant gratification, constant access to information and second by second advancements in techonology. You are in this demographic if you cringe at the sound of an internet dial-tone, or are practically in tears when you hear your computer's fan because you know the end of your beloved chunk of plastic and metal is near its end! You are not in this demographic if you type with two fingers, or send "E-mail" to your grandkids complete with proper grammar, punctuation and you sitting there for five minutes trying to figure out where to put the stamp. (Gen Y: A stamp(n.) has a value of $.44USD. It is attached to paper mail with a sticky solution that adheres it to the envelope. It funds the service the USPS provides citizens to hand-carry and deliver your message. (WARNING!! Delivery can take 5 to 7 business days. Not recommended for members of Gen Y)
    My vote is: Only contribute content of substance and value to the internet, otherwise you appear to be just another typical moron.
    <3

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  2. Thanks so much for the comment - I couldn't agree more with you. Although, I do feel special when I get a hand written letter - WOW - someone actually cared enough to take the time and send something to me. Anyone can quickly type out an e-mail. There is something to be said for those old school methods. Snail mail can and does work. What the real question here is (and you so eloquently raised) is who is your target audience? I love it when I ask a client who they are trying to appeal to and they have a whole list of different demographics. The reality is, when you try to appeal to everyone, you end up appealing to no one. The point I really wanted to raise is the fact that all those people that say social media is easy and quick are liars - while it's easy for me and people who are used it, it can be challenging for many others. And in order to keep up you really need to stay on top of the conversations you engage in. But if you are authentic and transparent then ultimately it will pay off. Unless you are a huge company people won't care about following your business. But they will care about you if you give them an opportunity to get to know you. And that will ultimately create a feeling of trust. You're no longer just another brand out there shouting out your message - you're engaging with people and allowing them to see that you are a real person that actually cares and knows what you are talking about. People want to do business with people they feel they can trust. Become that.

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