Danny Brown

podcaster - author - creator

Insights

Help 12for12k Support Hope for Haiti

This is a cross-post from 12for12k, following the humanitarian disaster currently happening in Haiti.

I don’t think I need to explain the human disaster that’s unfolding in Haiti. An earthquake of devastating proportions has ripped the heart out of the country, leaving a trail of death and destruction in its wake.

There are fears that there could be more than 100,000 fatalities and countless more injured and missing. This is the immediate impact. Long-term there is the threat of disease, illness, malnutrition, and much, much more. 12for12k is asking for your support to help the people of Haiti.

We are partnering with Hope for Haiti to raise much-needed donations to send to this humanitarian emergency. The immediate funds will go to helping the survivors with aid, shelter, food, medication and other essentials. Then there is the long-term need from there.

I know this is just after the holiday season. I know this is coming off the back of a year when people suffered financial strain. Yet we showed last year how much the 12for12k community cares, and the change we can make in whatever way we can. Please help us help Hope for Haiti and show our continued caring. You can use the donation widget below, which uses Paypal and goes directly to Hope for Haiti itself. $0.95 of every dollar goes to the humanitarian program needs.

Thank you, and let’s make whatever difference we can. And please, tweet this on Twitter, share on Facebook/display as your status, email folks to come here – we can really help together. You can also copy the embed code and display the widget on your own blog/site to spread awareness.

You can read Hope for Haiti’s press release about their aid program here. Additionally, you can follow their progress in Haiti via the Hope For Haiti Twitter account.

Social Media and Holistic Cultures

piece by pieceI was scanning Twitter today when I saw this tweet from Frank Eliason, who’s the Senior Director for Comcast’s National Customer Service:

“Is there any other perspective than the Customer Perspective in Social Media?”

It was in response to a statement from Andrew Mueller regarding social media’s role in business. Andrew viewed social media as an overall tactic that includes the customer; Frank sees it as starting with the customer.

While there’s no denying that customers play a huge role in the success of any business, they’re still just an overall part of the success.

Yes, without customers you don’t have a business; yet without the business you don’t have the opportunity for customers. And there’s the nub.

While social media allows customers to have a far more vociferous say in what kind of user experience they have, it shouldn’t be seen as being owned by the customer or that it’s only the customer’s perspective that matters.

Think of ways that social can be used to increase customer and business interaction. Think of ways that social can be used to launch a product or service. Think of ways that businesses can gain competitive advantages over other companies in the same space by enhancing their offerings with social. Think of ways that listening and being proactive can give you the lead.

There are many ways that social media can be used. The customer relationship is just one part. And as important a part it is, it’s not the only part. There’s a complete holistic strategy just waiting to be deployed that will improve everyone’s perspective, not just the customer.

And improvements all round can only lead to more success. Which is what everyone wants, no?

Creative Commons License photo credit:?Darwin Bell

One Size Fits All

Marketing to a law firm is very different to marketing to a butcher’s shop.

Implementing social media strategy for a school is not the same as implementing social media strategy for a school for spine surgeons.

Flying a kite is not the same as flying a three hundred passenger Boeing.

One size fits all solutions?

No such thing.

 

Errors in Judgement

eyesSometimes we make decisions based on a spur of the moment emotion. We read or hear something we disagree with, and take it to a higher level than it probably needs to go.

This leads us to reacting.

It could be that we speak out about what we’ve just disagreed with. It could be that we place someone on a filtered list, whether it’s email, blog comments, Twitter feeds or similar. Sometimes we continue that reaction long after the reason for its initiation has passed.

Reacting is ordinary. Reacting is human. Reacting is our emotions telling us that we don’t like something. Yet continuing that reaction isn’t ordinary. Sadly, I’m guilty of that, and was reminded twice this week (once just this morning).

Which makes me kind of hypocritical.

Look around this blog. Aside from the posts about social media, marketing, tools and platforms, hopefully one of the biggest things that comes across is that of community. It’s in my tagline; it’s why I have guest bloggers; it’s why I have an open comments policy. To me community is everything, and I try and share ways for you to build community as well (if you wish to).

Holding onto reactions isn’t community building. Speaking out long after the fact isn’t community building. I know this, and yet I fell guilty to it, and it took the wise words of two very smart people to make me realize this.

So.

This is my apology, for letting extended reactions go on way too long. We’re all human and we all make errors in judgement. I promise not to let mine continue so long the next time.

Creative Commons License photo credit: [phil h]

To Blog or Not to Blog

Day 48 / 365.Here’s a quick thought I just want to share with you, in case you’re wondering whether you should start a blog (or even if you’re currently blogging and are thinking you need to up your content level).

Stop thinking about it so much. Stop analyzing every single word you’ve just written. Stop holding your finger from the Publish tab. Stop trying to find that perfect phrase to say what you’re thinking. Stop giving yourself reasons not to post.

Instead, offer the one single reason why you should post – because it’s not perfect.

Raw is human. Raw is personal. Raw is exactly what you want to say at that given moment, and that makes it what you should say.

By all means, if your blog is corporate-minded and you need it to be “just so” for legal and other reasons, then do take more time and care.

But for the rest of you (and that includes me), forget the perfection. Forget the reasons not to. Your readers want your voice, not fabricated perfection.

Ready to blog?

Creative Commons License photo credit:?Sarah Nitt