How to Make Social Media Work for You


Apparently, I am one of the few people who didn’t notice that Facebook was down for an extensive period. I didn’t see any of the tweets on Twitter about it, either, even though I was at my computer all day. I found out about Facebook being down when I listened to the news.

Now, why is that?

As a person who speaks and trains on face-to-face networking, I do not spend much of my day on Facebook and Twitter. I wake up in the morning, check both, and usually add something of interest that I stumbled across in my reading, or add something about improving communication. I do the same thing at night.

The site I do spend quite a bit of time on is LinkedIn. I am a member of many groups and allow new discussions to flow into my inbox. Often I am one of the first to comment on topics that are relevant to speaking, training, and writing on communication issues. Many of the articles posted are outstanding, and I would have never found them on my own.

Am I on the right path? My belief is that I am. A recent survey found that 1 out of 5 teens are leaving Facebook because they are bored with it, though a small percentage is leaving because of parents watching their posts. Recently I’ve been hearing that people feel Facebook is becoming too commercialized, as well. At any rate, it seems that things are changing on these sites.

Some of the social media site experts are now expounding the idea that blogs, once again, are becoming the preferred way of connecting online. An eMarketer’s survey found that more than 1/2 of people online read a blog at least once a month. That makes for an awful lot of people who are not reading blogs, but the way I look at it, this is a huge potential for those of us who do.

I plan to keep blogging and sharing what I learn in my day-to-day life.

It’s the Little Things

I am not giving up on social media sites just yet, though. Here are some things I have learned:

1. Share articles that you have found useful.

2. Keep your own promotional materials to a minimum—being known as someone who shares great information is truly a plus.

3. When you get in the habit of writing quality online information, quality people will want to connect with you.

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Keep Up with the News to Improve Your Communication

When coaching people I ask, “Do you keep up with the news?” A common reply is, “No, I do not like to hear all the negativity.” Hmmmm. These same people complain that they are bored, or they ask me how in the world I come up with such interesting functions to attend.

I still read the newspaper, for that is where I find little gems. We are used to skimming the large advertisements in newspapers; yet, it’s interesting how often the fine print announces an event the companies are sponsoring. These events are often free and open to the community. They help me keep up with developments in my own community by giving me an opportunity to interact with people from different disciplines.

The morning television news shows are a great way to catch up with happenings overnight. My recent trip to Europe, a nine-hour time change from my home, illustrated how much actually happens in the world while America sleeps. You can easily listen to these shows while you get ready for your day’s activities. Then, once you are out about, you will at least have a broad idea of what is going on in the world.

The Internet provides rich resources for up-to-date news. If there is breaking news during the day, at least a skeleton of information is available. By the way, I check the headlines on my homepage when I open my computer in the morning.

Social media is part of my world, too. I pay attention to LinkedIn, FaceBook and Twitter every day. Social media is not where I go for news, though. I go there to learn about new strategies and their application, and to share my expertise on improving communication.

You can easily see that I would never be able to read everything in detail—or I would never get anything done. As for those negative articles… Why do I want to read about the latest fire in Florida when I live in Vancouver, Washington? Sound cold? Maybe it does. But as my daughter, who is in public relations, pointed out, the reporters look for the worst areas to photograph and the most distraught people to interview.

Just give me the facts. I have places to go, things to learn, so that I can share.

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SOCIAL MEDIA KEEPS ATTENTION ON YOUR BUSINESS

When I moved to Palm Springs, to work a project my routines were quickly eliminated. Exercise routine changed, and finding things became an interesting detective pursuit. All the touchstones of my life had been changed.

The first thing to go was my connection through social media. Before I moved here each day, I had been spending at least some time on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Now for some reason, I felt that was something that I could do later.

A check of my Google Analytics proved that visits to my website and blog had dropped. There was only one logical conclusion to come to---I wasn’t participating in the world of Cyberspace.

Lessons learned:

No matter what, figure out a way to go to sites and contribute. Note, I said contribute – Idle chatter about your day will not cause people to want to know more about you.

Keep your messages short and crisp. Recently articles are being posted that would require you go get a cup of coffee and settle in for the next 10 minutes to read them. People just don’t have time to read long articles on line.

Constantly keep your mind open to things that you can post of interest. When you are involved in social media, your whole environment is a resource of information that would be great to share.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TIP:

Recently learned about Pokens --- the new contact card (business card). I am thinking this is one of the great new innovations in transferring our contact information. http://www.doyoupoken.com/web/guest/home

SOCIAL MEDIA TAKES TIME

Got my coffee this morning and turned on my computer. Overnight approximately 35 people started following me on Twitter. We tend to forget while we sleep the rest of the world is wide-awake and in the middle of its’ workday. Sometime during their day, people discovered me, checked out some of my tweets, and decided they wanted to follow me.

I check them out and make a decision to follow them or ignore the request. I choose not to follow people who do not have a picture, a profile or tweets that are just used to sell their product. My view Twitter is a place where you share your insights and retweet followers who have great links to interesting blogs and newsletters.

Since I am supposed to be writing the first thing in the morning, I questioned myself about whether or not I am making good use of my important asset….time. Smiling for obviously Twitter has given me a subject to write about. Twitter has caught the attention of millions of people.

Is it worth my time? My answer is yes.

Just this week I did a radio interview because Twitter follower Radio Suzy http://dresserafterdark.com mentioned they would like me to discuss communication on their evening show. Turned out to be a great conversation about the use of simple words.

Twitter has provided me with book recommendations, blogs that have great information on communication and, believe it not, I am developing real relationships. Last week I picked up the phone and talked to a couple of acquaintances that I seemed to be connecting with through our tweets. The calls turned out to be delightful—glad I took the time.

Yes, I am hooked.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TIP:

Messy office? You might want to sign up for my friend Brandie Kajino’s newsletter for some helpful hints. http://www.thehomeofficeorganizer.com

IS IT "SOCIAL NETWORKING" OR "SOCIAL MEDIA"?

During the last month I have been spending a great deal of time on the computer. I know I have to stay on top of technology and decided it was time to figure out Twitter, Facebook etc.

Since I speak and train on networking in person, I got to thinking "Is "social networking" the right word for interactions on these sites? I have asked the question on http://www.Twitter.com no response yet.

A colleague that I respect happened to call on another issue. She brought an interesting perspective to my question. She's nearing the half-way point of her Masters Degree. She said her classmates had just had a discussion on that very subject. They decided, more than likely, it is"social networking" -- taken to the virtual world.

The issue seems to be how to apply professional standards to this virtual arena and the connecting that is happening throughout the world. People are finally starting to understand that what they write will float in cyberspace for years. There are many people having regrets about what they wrote. Perhaps, we need the Emily Post of cyberspace communication?

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TIP:

If you are packing something to send, make sure you pack it very tight. It seems that breakage occurs when the item inside can move. Loose, wadded newspaper is not enough to cushion the object.