Should you do the Social Media "thing"?

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.

Follow up - I need to stop making odd faces

I had just got off a skype call so I was in video cam mode. Anyway - I can't believe how many times I said "ummmm" in that first video. And I do know the appropriate times to say "scary" or "scared."

I have no problem admitting that it is kind of weird to be shooting these videos and it makes me feel a little uncomfortable. But I like the idea of it because it's much easier for readers to get to know you when they can not only read what you say but also listen and watch you.

I'll be shooting some more video over the weekend. I welcome any advice/comments!

Thanks!

Are You Scared of Social Media?

There is a serious question that needs to be addressed in ALL businesses that plan on thriving (not surviving) the next decade. The issue is social media. OMG it’s so freaking scary isn’t it? Actually, I find it so exciting but there are many many many many many people absolutely terrified of it. Oh but the legal ramifications – people are talking, what are they saying? They can’t say that – what if they say this – what if they post this picture? LISTEN… People are talking, they’re saying a lot of stuff. Who was it that said that your brand is what people say about you when you leave the room? Anyway, here’s the deal. Social media has totally transformed the way we do business, interact and communicate with each other, customers and vendors. If you want to be successful you have to accept change. Get ready for it and plan on how to implement change. Fighting it will not help. Facebook and twitter and linked in are just a few of the sites out there – there are TONS. And here’s the reality – it’s not going anywhere, it’s not a fad and it is here to stay. If you do not embrace it and join it then you will fade away quicker than pods (remember those?). People are talking about your brand either way. The lines have blurred and perhaps you will see a picture of your employees on the beach drinking a beer all the while you are shocked because they have become facebook friends with an important client. I understand – and it is scary because so much information is available to so many people. But the fact you have to face is that social media has transformed the business landscape. Just pushing your message out there to the public isn’t going to work. People expect personalization now and people want to do business with people not faceless companies. They want accountability and transparency and if you aren’t offering that then you better think fast on how you will compete. It’s late and I’m exhausted. So I’m terribly sorry about the grammatical errors and typos and I’m pretty sure I’ve included an unnecessary amount of run-on sentences…

POINT IS – Social media is not going away and if you don’t figure out a way to incorporate it into your business structure and marketing then you are losing out and ultimately it will be detrimental to your business. Focus on creating transparency and honesty to get the respect and attention from your customers. Join the discussions and properly represent yourself and remember – people run every business and people want to do business with other people. So stop hiding behind your cubicle walls and join the conversation. If you don’t join in – your competitor most likely already is.