Hotspots and Hangouts – My reflections from jumping off the ice.

Hangout On Air

Here I am waiving to the online live hangout audience.

Have you ever thought to “live broadcast” a presentation while out on the road?

During last night’s #KidneyChat, a few of us were talking about Hangouts On Air and some of the challenges on the road. At Carol Stephen’s suggestion, I am writing this post.

I thought a live broadcast would be fun to try when I was invited to be one of Darrel Cole’s panelists (blog post is here) for the ACEC Annual Conference in Monterey, CA.  I wanted my boss and my mom to see it. Continue reading →

Why I Don’t Use Twitter’s Retweet Button

grumpynoretweetNothing sets me on edge like the retweet button.

Twitter shot themselves in the foot when they took an organic, user-generated syntax (the retweet) and made a button for it.  

Sure, maybe I lose credibility in your eyes because I don’t have an MBA in Marketing but I have been tweeting since 2007, in the BRTB days (before retweet button).

Now, you can take my advice or you bounce from the blog.  But my perspective is always to be a help.

I’ll start with the benefits of the Retweet Button.

  1. People like to be able to say that their tweet was retweeted x amount of times.  Even I have fallen into this trap from time to time. 
  2. Some tweets are just too awesome or too long to edit in order to Retweet.
  3. People claim it curbs traffic on Twitter.  I’m not sure if that’s actually true but I’ll capitulate to the point for the purpose of this post.

Here are some of the reasons why I don’t use Twitter’s Retweet Button:

It’s overused.  

When a “reply” suffices as in a case where “You’re welcome” or “Thank you” are appropriate responses, the retweet makes you look lazy.  Yep, I said it.

Now, don’t get your feelings all hurt, I’m not going to call anyone out and show screenshots or anything.  Just think before you press “retweet.”  Is it the appropriate response?  Remember, Twitter is for conversations, not just mirroring a statement back to the original sender. Continue reading →

The Value of Your Online Ambassador (Why It “Costs” So Much)

guru logoYou’re a small business owner thinking you need to be on social media, not totally convinced of its worth (yet), but you know you need it. You may even realize you need help.

So, you find and contact a social media manager and get a quote. But now you’re in a coma because you had an entirely different expectation of the cost.

You think, “It’s just Facebook? Why is it so expensive?”

Just like in any line of work, there are people with experience and people who tell a good story.  In my experience, I’ve run into very few truly good social media managers. I am very picky on who I will refer when I’m asked to take on an account.

Some thoughts:

  1. You don’t have time for social media. This is why you’ve sought help in the first place.  How much is your time worth?
  2. You don’t have the skills needed (yet) do do social media yourself.  How much is it worth to you to get the accounts going? Continue reading →

Look at the Plus Side: My Take on the Benefits of Google Plus

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I recently purchased a Ford Fiesta that has the SYNC system. I’m not a big fan of earbuds which has relegated my iPod to a lonely drawer. But when I saw the USB port in the Fiesta, I was excited to bring my 60Gig iPod out of retirement.

Driving down the road with new wheels listening to my playlists was like reuniting with old friends fully aware that although it’s been ten years, our relationships picked right back up without any lag.

I have about ten playlists depending upon my mood. I took time to create them, put songs in there for a reason. What’s my point?

Playlists are intentional.

That’s what Google Plus is to me. It’s the iPod of the social networks. Everyone in my circles is there because I want them there. I put them in my playlist (circle) with intent. Continue reading →

Want Friends? Be A Friend. My Go-To Social Media Advice

guru logo

If you want to have friends, be a friend.

Social media, by its very nomenclature, is social.  For a relationship to exist there needs to be reciprocity.

Do you have a Facebook Page? Log in as your page and like other pages.

Do you have friends on Facebook, blogs you read, Circles of Friends on G+? Spend some time reading and commenting on other posts and photos.

Why comment when you can just “like” a post?

In many ways, clicking “like” is akin to seeing a friend across a room and smiling and waving.

There’s nothing wrong with it; it’s rather pleasant.

But you won’t grow your relationship unless you start talking to each other. In fact, the other person may even come to resent or just ignore you.

That’s where commenting comes in.

Why not just try it?  What could you possibly lose? I believe that you’ll notice a spike in activity as a natural, organic result of “friendly” behavior.

Guru Lesson: If you want friends, you have to be a friend.


More resources:

Twitter: A Nuclear Testing Site | A Commentary on the Pseudo-Social State of Twitter

Nuclear weapons test in Nevada in 1957 A 37-kiloton balloon shot fired at the Nevada Test Site in 1957. Credit: US Government

In Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, our hero finds himself in a strangely quiet neighborhood.

It looks like people are in the houses watching TV and the kids are playing outside. Upon further investigation they’re only posed mannequins.

For the sake of argument, let’s run with Scott Stratten’s analogy that “automating tweets is like sending a mannequin to a networking event.”  That premise accepted, it is my belief that Twitter is in danger of becoming a nuclear test site.

Why? It’s simple. There’s a whole lot of tweets, but not a whole lot of conversation.

I’ve noticed in the past six months or so that while scrolling through the home feed, it’s difficult to find tweets that are candidates for response or retweet.

I’ve already talked about ways to be retweetable and if you’ve ever seen my feed I am no stranger to telling people to stop tweeting from Facebook.

Although one of the main reasons I don’t retweet Facebook links is that not everyone on Twitter is on Facebook, the problem is bigger.  I think people are using cross-posting as a way to make social easy. Continue reading →

Using Facebook as a Page with Other Pages | A Screencast

A simple screencast to encourage you to interact with other pages.

Guru Lesson:  ”If you want to have friends, be a friend.”

Please excuse me struggling over the word “Administration?” I should have just said “Admin.” I blame my stay plate for that. Also, there are neighborhood dogs barking in the background.

Happy Facebooking!

Ten Ways to Be Retweetable

If You Want to be Retweeted, Be Retweet-able

It never ceases to amaze me how technology cripples our ability to communicate.

(Wait. What?)

Yes, you would think it should be the opposite.

This post lists ways to remind you that you are still a human being even when you have a computer in your pocket.

1. Stop Tweeting from Facebook

Yes. Automation. Specifically, “Tweeting from Facebook” is very easy and popular. But is it the best way to get your message out on Twitter? I say no.

(Save your outcry for politicians or the comment section.)

Listen, I’ve been tweeting since 2007. I’ve seen a lot of new people take up Twitter lately, thinking it will give them instant results like the promise of Sea Monkeys on the back of cereal boxes.

You don’t build relationships by pushing buttons. Continue reading →

Baby Steps to the Tweet: A beginner’s guide to starting your Twitter Account

Twitter Bird“…baby step onto the elevator… baby step into the elevator… I’m *in* the elevator. [doors close] AHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Bob Wiley What About Bob?

Many of my friends seem to be utterly flabbergasted by the concept of Twitter.  One may sign up, tweet one or two things, then leave it dormant for months, even a year.  Others try then forget about it or simply do not integrate it into their lives as a habit.

Like most things in life that are overwhelming, the best approach is to break them into small, achievable tasks.  Not all of these steps have to be performed in the same day; however, breaking them down makes it less overwhelming, at least.

  1. Decide what email address you want associated with your twitter account.  One email per account.  You may want a new account, if so, setup a new email.
  2. Make a list of possible Twitter names; they may not be available.
  3. Decide what your avatar (profile picture) will be and have it handy to upload.  If you are using a logo, it should be square. Continue reading →

Lists: It’s Your Only Hope

Lists

Do you remember the iconic scene in Star Wars when Princess Leia says, “Help me Obi Wan Kanobi; you’re my only hope?”  Well, that’s how I feel about lists on Facebook.

Yes, you can add people to lists on Facebook.

After reading this post by The Fab Social and some comments on her Facebook post here, I decided to take her and a friend’s advice to write this post.

Facebook’s news feed can be very overwhelming.

I always presume people aren’t as self-centered as they seem to be.  Maybe you just need help making lists.

Because I’m rather liberal with accepting friend requests from people I know from work or Twitter or elsewhere on the Internet I have to live by lists.

If I didn’t have lists, I would never see posts from my infrequent-posting crowd: namely, my family.

I always want to see posts from my Aunt Patsy and my cousins.   So I have a list for my family. And I made a list for my husband’s family. And I made a list for our outreach group, professional contacts, and on and on. Continue reading →

You’re Not Born A Guru – Twitter Takes Time

Baby Bird 08 by

Baby Bird 08 by “Allie’s Dad” on Flickr

I just realized you can download an archive of your tweets from Twitter.com.

Today is my 6th year anniversary using Twitter (my original account is @gidgey).

By no means did I hit the ground running from this account.

Here is my first tweet:

It appears it took nearly a year before I talked to anyone.  My first mention was to Leo Laporte. Incidentally, it was from listening to his TWIT podcasts that I heard about Twitter in the first place and joined.

Continue reading →