Guest Posts

Hyper-Connected or Disconnected?

Phone > Email > Text > SMS > Blogging > Facebook > Video > Twitter: that?s a quick & dirty look at the basic evolution of our communication channels over the past few years. We?ve grown faster, smarter, technologically savvy, and more efficient with the tools and services we use to communicate with one another in this digital era.

This sort of hyper-connectivity leaves seemingly little time-waste when it comes to responding to one our colleague?s tweets or a friend?s message (or numerous fan page requests) on Facebook. But as we continue to get deeper into the social media realm, I?ve heard just as much talk that our hyper-connected lives have actually made us become disconnected, with the real world.

I?ll be the first one to admit that I?m a technophile and practically sleep with my laptop and iPhone. People who know me online (and off) realize that I am constantly connected online, have a finger on the pulse of what?s happening in the social media space, and studying how companies are utilizing it successfully, or not. It?s who I am, it?s in my genes, and it?s what?s helped me get this far in my career, as I continue to try to make waves.

With that though beckons the questions of this lifestyle:

? Are we sometimes too hyper-connected?

? Do we pass up opportunities in real-life because we?re tending to online activities?

? Are we not spending enough time away from technology?

We?ve built respected communities online that we connect with on a daily basis, but that doesn?t necessarily mean they?re no more real than the people and activities we take part in outside of our home. Where should the line be drawn and a balance created with our online activity and ?outside-the-internet? lives? Or has that line evolved into a blur?

What I?ve come to realize is that this tech/social media world isn?t for everyone. It pushes people to different levels ? working on nights & weekends, creating proposals, continually writing fresh content (as I write this on a Sunday night), responding to tweets all times of the day ? the list goes on. Hyper-connectivity has become somewhat of a prerequisite in this industry and can be seen as unbalance or overwhelming to the outside eye.

But what?s your perspective ? how do you see your online activity? Are you bettering your experiences & skills and building trust within your circles through constant activity, or do you think those who question the technophile?s lifestyle are right? Do you feel that we should find a better balance between these respective worlds?

This is a guest post from Sonny Gill, a social media strategist and community guy whose passion for this space can be well documented through his career experience, as well as via his blog SonnyGill.com.?You can also find him as @sonnygill on Twitter, and writing for his second passion, basketball, at RockinTheRim.com.

Phone > Email > Text > SMS > Blogging > Facebook > Video > Twitter: that?s a quick and dirty look at the basic evolution of our communication channels over the past few years.

We?ve grown faster, smarter, technologically savvy, and more efficient with the tools and services we use to communicate with one another in this digital era.

It?s who I am, it?s in my genes, and it?s what?s helped me get this far in my career, as I continue to try to make waves.?With that though beckons the questions of this lifestyle:

Are we sometimes too hyper-connected?
Do we pass up opportunities in real-life because we?re tending to online activities?
Are we not spending enough time away from technology?

We?ve built respected communities online that we connect with on a daily basis, but that doesn?t necessarily mean they?re no more real than the people and activities we take part in outside of our home. Where should the line be drawn and a balance created with our online activity and ?outside-the-Internet? lives? Or has that line evolved into a blur?

What I?ve come to realize is that this tech/social media world isn?t for everyone. It pushes people to different levels ? working on nights and weekends, creating proposals, continually writing fresh content (as I write this on a Sunday night), responding to tweets all times of the day ? the list goes on.

Hyper-connectivity has become somewhat of a prerequisite in this industry and can be seen as unbalance or overwhelming to the outside eye.

But what?s your perspective ? how do you see your online activity?

Are you bettering your experiences & skills and building trust within your circles through constant activity, or do you think those who question the technophile?s lifestyle are right? Do you feel that we should find a better balance between these respective worlds?

Chasing Your Dream While Keeping Your Day Job

This is a guest post from Andrew Weaver, a photographer, blogger, and self described social media geek. He has an interest in helping others improve their lives both personally and professionally. He authors the blog Leave It To Weaver and you can connect with Andrew on Twitter.

I’m no social media expert. I’m not a PR maven. I’m not a marketing guru. I won’t show you how to get thousands of followers on Twitter.

I don’t have any New York Times’ best sellers. I don’t have a Fortune 500 company to tell you about. I can’t show you how to make millions sitting at home.

I’m just a guy with a dream. I’m going to wager many of you are in the same boat.

I have a love for writing and a dream of growing my photography business. The goal is to one day leave the daily 9 to 5 grind behind and to be doing what I love for a living. If you have the same goals, I understand that it can be difficult to know where to begin.

We live in extraordinary times. The Internet changed the game and social media brought the game to a whole new level. There has never been so many tools available at our fingertips. Geography is no longer a restriction. The list could go on and on. The point is, it has never been easier to start your own business.

If you have a day job that takes up most of your time, it can be a little tricky starting your own business. So how to begin?

If I were to give you just one basic tip, it would be to utilize social media. In today’s world it is imperative to have some form of online presence, especially when starting a business in your spare time.

Social media provides you with exposure and a cheap way to market your business. You don’t have to be on every site out there. Just a couple you can devote some time and effort to. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Pick your poison and start building.

Build relationships. Build conversations. Build communities. Build fans. Build your network. Build, build, and build some more. By the way, building is much different from non-stop self promoting. No one likes a border line spammer.

Think about this. Without social media how many of you would be reading Danny Brown’s blog? How many of you would know much about Chris Brogan without Twitter? How many of you would care that Guy Kawasaki uses ghosts of anything without social media? If you are building your business from scratch and very few people know much of anything about you, there’s no good reason not to utilize social media. Start building.

Finally, I’m going to throw in one last bit of advice for free. Get rid of the excuses. Whether it’s fear of the unknown or any other reason, quit
using lousy excuses for why you refuse to utilize the tools the Internet has to offer your business.

3 Favorite Excuses YOU Can Not Use

No money. How many successful Internet startups do you know that opened with a huge budget? Quit using this excuse.

No time. This will be the most tempting excuse if you have a day job. Quit asking about social media if you’re going to instantly turn around and say, “I don’t have time for that.” You can and will make time for anything you really want.

No knowledge. It’s good to be knowledgeable in your field. It’s good to do your homework before you dive into a business in any field. At some point though, you have to dive in. You must get to work. Quit hiding behind your fear of starting your own business by saying you don’t know enough yet. Get to work and learn as you go.

You may just be a girl or guy with a dream, but there is no reason you can’t be working to achieve that dream. Social media is one of the best ways available today in helping you get there. I like how Seth Simonds’ bio on his Twitter breaks it down: “Drink some tea, ignore some experts, pursue your dreams…”

The Future of Scribnia

This is a guest post from David Spinks.

David is the Community Manager for Scribnia.? With a passion for the power of social web communities, he has utilized his knowledge of community building to establish a professional career in the social media field.

He authors a blog at www.davidspinks.com and contributes to the Scribnia Blog.

Watching Scribnia develop into a strong and loyal community has been very exciting.

We?ve enjoyed the loyal activity of some very enthusiastic alpha users who have contributed a lot of quality reviews and have been able to find new bloggers in their industries.

I?d like to share with you where we plan on going with Scribnia and how I will play a role as community manager.

We?re looking to continue to develop Scribnia as a valuable tool for bloggers and their communities. By giving the power to the readers, our goal is to really ?level the playing field.? So much focus is placed on Google Pagerank and Alexa rankings. This makes it very hard for the ?little guy? to gain their due recognition.

As many bloggers know, there are so many awesome blogs out there that you rarely hear about unless they pull in loads of links and visitors.

Through Scribnia, we hope that the blogging and online reading communities can really share those blogs that are truly great.

We?d like to continuously refine our discovery engine in order to provide the best possible, personalized recommendations. This is a tough task but one that we?re very committed to. There are a lot of recommendation engines out there but we?re aiming to differentiate ourselves by using author reviews rather than blog reviews, and really taking into account each user?s personal preferences. We take into account a lot more than ?similar content?.

I have a number of roles as Community Manager.

My main role is to bring in users and to get people excited about Scribnia.? So far, this hasn?t been a difficult task as bloggers seem to really appreciate the service.? It?s a benefit for bloggers to get involved early. The more reviews you have the greater chance you have of being featured as a top blogger, or being chosen as an ?Author of the Day?.

We are planning on going public (beta) very soon and hope that our community members will help us get others excited about Scribnia.

The community aspect of Scribnia is one that we?re proud of, and we hope that others will want to be a part of that community.? I will be online pretty much all day everyday talking with users, answering any questions, and staying active on the site. If you know me, you know I love conversation! As Community Manager, I have a lot on my plate, but I?m very excited to help the community grow and to connect with our members.

If you?d like to join Scribnia while we?re in alpha, you can email me any time at DavidSpinks@Scribnia.com. You can also follow us on Twitter at @Scribnia.

The Difference Between Heaven and Hell in Social Media

This is a guest post from John Haydon. John is a guy of many talents. He’s a teacher, a learner, a singer, a comedian with a very dry wit and one of the nicest guys you could meet.

He’s also a damn fine blogger and the Blogger Outreach partner for 12for12k. I’m delighted to have John here today.

An ancient Buddhist parable involves a young Zen monk asking his teacher about the difference between Heaven and Hell.

His teacher replies, “Both Heaven and Hell have an expansive dining hall with a steamy vat of noodle soup at the center of the hall. The soup smells delicious and everyone has equal access to the soup. The strange thing is that each diner has to eat this soup with chopsticks that are 4-feet long.”

Puzzled, the young monk asks, “So, if both Heaven and Hell have this huge dining hall with this great soup and these strangely long chopsticks, then aren’t they the same?”

The teacher replies, “Yes, they appear to be the same. But how the diners eat is the critical difference.”

“How’s that?” asks the student.

“In Hell, everyone starves because no matter how hard they try, they can’t get the noodles into their mouths. The chopsticks are too long.

“In Heaven, each diner feeds the person sitting across from them at the dinning room table. Everyone is happy and eats to their hearts content.”

How does this relate to social media?

Understanding technology is important. Twitter’s potential is lost if all you do is post what’s new with you, just like long chopsticks aren’t placed at tables for one.
Giving to others nourishes our souls, just like feeding each other brings joy and full bellies. Supporting other people’s agendas with social media has surprising and immeasurable business value.
Everything works better if you put them together, like the two pairs of chopsticks work by feeding each other. There is no “Twitter or Facebook?”, only “Twitter and Facebook.”
Are you ready for another bite? There is a very good reason that Listening is the very first step in most social media strategies. Why boil more Spaghetti when all along they wanted Soba?

And finally:

There is enough noodle soup for everyone.

John Haydon does social media strategy and training for non-profits and small businesses. He is also a songwriter and a father to a 5-year old boy. You can find out more by subscribing to his blog or connecting with John on Twitter.

The Continuum Theory of Social Media

Recently I enjoyed? a great conversation with Tom Cunniff on Twitter. It revolved around social media definitions and how brands and voices could be heard across the sphere. I was so intrigued by Tom’s views I asked if he’d guest here. I’m thankful he said yes.

People talk about Social Media as if it’s one thing. This is the source of a lot of “you-just-don’t-get-it” arguments online: people fight holy wars to defend their “it” vs. someone else’s “it” and never see that two sides can never agree because they’re not talking about the same thing.

I don’t think Social Media is one thing.? I believe it can be more accurately described as a continuum, with “Social” at the far left and “Media” at the far right.

On the “Social” side of the continuum, it’s all about the conversation.? So, let’s start there.

THE SOCIAL SIDE OF THE CONTINUUM

For small businesses – especially consultancies — Social Media is 99% social and maybe 1% paid media. In fact, there are so many conversations going on that some people need assistants to help them manage all those conversations at once. This is the world of Twitter and Facebook and FriendFeed: a very human, very time-consuming world.

Social Media works brilliantly for consultancies because these are and always have been relationship businesses. Start with light conversation, spread some thought leadership, and build a few important business relationships.

The intimacy of scale matches the intimacy of the sale.

Because it works so incredibly well for small businesses, a lot of social media experts seem incredulous when you ask whether social media can scale.? Surely if a tiny business can have huge results with social media, a big business would surely have even bigger results, right?? Are big clients insane? Why aren’t they all over this? I mean, duh!

Well…? not so fast. The physics out here in big-bizland are dramatically different. So much so, in fact, that the time investment can balloon out of control while the payback shrinks so small that you can’t measure it.

THE MEDIA SIDE OF THE CONTINUUM

Large product businesses can’t survive selling to dozens of people per year. If you’re a consumer packaged goods manufacturer (think Crest toothpaste), you need to sell to millions of people, and you have to do it fast because you have to drive fast product turns at Wal-Mart.

A dozen conversations won’t cut it.? A hundred won’t do it either.? Even thousands of conversations won’t do it.? You literally need millions of conversations and you need them fast.

Here’s the point where everyone trots out the “influencing the influencers” argument: win over a few key influencers and the rest follow.? In some extremely high-involvement categories, this may work. But in low-involvement categories, I don’t see it.? Imagine you work for Charmin bathroom tissue.? Who are the key influencers for toilet paper? You get the idea.

So if you work for a CPG (consumer packaged goods) company, it starts to be necessary to consider buying Social Media at scale.? But once you start looking at that, it rapidly turns into 99% media and maybe 1% social. Why? Because one of the only ways to get massive scale is to buy space next to somebody else’s conversation.? This is the stuff we used to call “advertising” back in the day.

To understand why, you need to understand the currency.

WHAT’S THE CURRENCY OF SOCIAL MEDIA?

The currency of social media is a human conversation. Those one-on-one conversations don’t scale well. A million very shallow conversations would require 10 million individual, costly, well-trained human minutes. This goes double (quadruple, actually) if there are regulatory or safety issues.

Another hurdle: the intimacy of the medium requires a slower pace. Jumping right into a sales pitch is seen as a violation of trust. And automation is problematic, because people feel (correctly) like they’re talking to a robot.

WHERE ARE YOU ON THE CONTINUUM?

What do you think about this continuum idea? Is it consistent with what you’re already thinking, or do you find it challenging? If you buy the idea of a continuum, where do you think you can offer the most value? Where do you offer the least value? Who does the social side best? Who does the media side best?

I’m curious to hear your comments.

Tom Cunniff has been an ad agency creative director, an interactive agency owner, and is now on the client side. “The more perspective I get,” Tom says, “the more I appreciate the scope of what’s still left to learn”. You can find out more about him by reading his blog or connecting with Tom on Twitter.

photo credit: Ferran.

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