social media

Discussing Social Media with… John Easton

A little while back, I sent out a request via Twitter asking if anyone would be interested in being interviewed for a discussion on social media. With the medium meaning so many different things to so many people, as well as how it can be used, I was interested to hear the views of the people I connect with.

My original plan was to run a ?round table? style of blog post – raise the questions and then have a mix of views as the responses. However, the answers I received back were all excellent, and showed why social media is the mix of interesting people and views that it is. So, I decided individual posts would be far more effective in an on-going series of interviews.

Sharing his views today is John Easton, founder of Eastonsweb Multimedia, a new media company helping businesses attract the best customers through the use of video, web and multimedia tools. My sincere thanks to John for taking the time to reply and share his views. To connect with John, or find out more about him, please visit his blog Customer Flypaper.

If someone was to ask you for your definition of social media, what would it be?

The use of online, communal tools and their associated communities to engage an audience around a message, idea or discussion.

What is your reason for using social media?

That is an easy question. I use social media to expand my thinking beyond the boundaries I set by interacting with truly fascinating people and to lend my thinking to supportive communities of interest. In addition, I find social media to be a great tool for expanding my professional network.

Do you feel that social media is being used to its maximum effect?

I would say yes. Does this mean that there aren’t unexplored SM applications? Without getting too philosophical here social is just like traditional media. It’s constantly evolving and at its present state of development, the medium is being used and explored by some of the world’s most creative minds and with every Twitter tweet and new blog posting a different angle is being explored. So I’d say it is where it’s supposed to be.

What social media tools or applications do you use? Why these ones in particular?

My choice of social media tools is a function of my capacity, being a business owner and parent. My personal and professional goals are to build relationships with interesting people and grow my professional network and the behavioral profile of those I am looking to engage.

That said I am an active Twitter user, a vigorous blogger and I am an enthusiastic member of several online communities (The Society for Word of Mouth is one). I can interact with each of these communities via my desktop PC, my laptop computer and my BlackBerry and each of these neighborhoods has members who regularly stretch my thinking.

Where do you see the future of social media, both in general and for you?

In general I see social media and its conventions converging more and more with traditional media. The line between the Internet and television as an example will blur. Gone will be the days of cable networks and TV stations. You will watch user generated video alongside professional media wirelessly through your glasses and you will be able to exchange comments with other viewers in real time building relationships as you add perspective to each clip.

I don’t see my goals for the use of SM changing but I will certainly ride the wave and continue to be a bridge between those on the bleeding edge and more middle of the road adopters.

Are businesses effectively using social media? If not, what can they do to improve?

That’s a loaded question. Big business is not successfully using SM. Most of the leaders in this pool approach SM from the old world perspective of controlling the conversation, not realizing that a revolution has already taken place with the power having changed hands from the elite few to the masses. SM is less about controlling the message and more about participating in the discussion, give and take.

Small businesses are doing a better job but still have opportunities to explore. They have to learn to be less revenue focused when it comes to measuring the benefit of SM and consider the wider spectrum of return (building awareness, testing ideas, soliciting new product/service ideas, collaboration, word of mouth, etc).

After all is it better to close one deal or to build a Twitter relationship with someone who can evangelize your offering to several thousand people with the tap of a keyboard?

What do you feel are the best and worst features/uses of social media?

I believe the good and bad of SM is less about the features inherent in the technology and more about the way people use it. At its best social media accelerates the spread of information through networks of linked? communities and at its worst it can be a haven for often mindless and self-promoting chatter. All of this depends on the behavior of community members.

You can find more ?Discussing Social Media with?? interviews here.

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How Do You Boil Your Social Media Egg?

One thing I used to love when I was growing up was breakfast at my grandma’s. She’d make toast soldiers and boiled eggs.

(Just in case anyone doesn’t know what toast soldiers are, it’s when you make normal toast and then cut it into about 4-5 strips. You then butter these strips and use them to dip into eggs or beans).

The reason I liked having breakfast at my grandma’s was because she always gave me a choice of how I liked my eggs boiled. Unlike my mum who always hard-boiled her eggs, which was okay when I was in the mood for them. But every now and again, you just want to get a runny egg and dip some toast in it.

This is where my grandma stood tall.

If I wanted runny eggs, she’d boil for three minutes and then I’d have my runny yolk. If I wanted hard-boiled, she’d keep them on the heat for six minutes and you sure got one solid egg!

It may not sound like much, getting the choice between soft or hard-boiled eggs, but trust me – for a 6-year old kid, it was everything. I felt that I had a voice, and my grandma really wanted to know my choice, as opposed to me having to like something just because everyone else did.

Social media’s kind of like the boiled egg. Initially, it can be a tough shell to crack if you’ve never tried it before. You wonder what’s the best approach – should you slice the top open and dig in slowly from there, or try and break it open evenly and absorb it whole?

Deciding how you want to use social media can be a lot like choosing your yolk. Do you want to just dabble and maybe use a mix of Twitter and Facebook? Then you’ll just want the three minute boil. If you really want to get something to dig your teeth into, though, and you want to try all the different tools and sites that social media has to offer, you better give your egg an extra three minutes.

But you know what? It doesn’t matter how you like your social media egg. Just like my grandma always gave me the choice, so you have the choice too. Because both ways are right. There is no wrong. Social media is your egg to boil as you choose – the main thing is that you enjoy it when it’s done.

The 12 Days of Social Media Christmas

Yes, I know, there are still 5 weeks until Christmas. But it never stopped the malls and stores from hawking their wares back in August! Besides, it usually gets pretty hectic for me from hereon in so I figured I’d do this now before I either forget or don’t have time.

And who doesn’t like a nice Christmas song? So, without further ado, I give you the 12 Days of Social Media Christmas song. Enjoy.

On the first day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
The Twitter bird in a pear tree.

On the second day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Two Magpie tweets,
And the Twitter bird in a pear tree.

On the third day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Three Brogan blog posts,
Two Magpie tweets,
And the Twitter bird in a pear tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Four Facebook apps,
Three Brogan blog posts,
Two Magpie tweets,
And the Twitter bird in a pear tree.

On the fifth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Five brand new friends,
Four Facebook apps,
Three Brogan blog posts,
Two Magpie tweets,
And the Twitter bird in a pear tree.

On the sixth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Six BackType comments,
Five brand new friends,
Four Facebook apps,
Three Brogan blog posts,
Two Magpie tweets,
And the Twitter bird in a pear tree.

On the seventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Seven Scoble gadgets,
Six BackType comments,
Five brand new friends,
Four Facebook apps,
Three Brogan blog posts,
Two Magpie tweets,
And the Twitter bird in a pear tree.

On the eighth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Eight gains on Technorati,
Seven Scoble gadgets,
Six BackType comments,
Five brand new friends,
Four Facebook apps,
Three Brogan blog posts,
Two Magpie tweets,
And the Twitter bird in a pear tree.

On the ninth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Nine Yahoo Buzz ups,
Eight gains on Technorati,
Seven Scoble gadgets,
Six BackType comments,
Five brand new friends,
Four Facebook apps,
Three Brogan blog posts,
Two Magpie tweets,
And the Twitter bird in a pear tree.

On the tenth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Ten MySpace Tom’s a-leaping,
Nine Yahoo Buzz ups,
Eight gains on Technorati,
Seven Scoble gadgets,
Six BackType comments,
Five brand new friends,
Four Facebook apps,
Three Brogan blog posts,
Two Magpie tweets,
And the Twitter bird in a pear tree.

On the eleventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Eleven front page Diggs,
Ten MySpace Tom’s a-leaping,
Nine Yahoo Buzz ups,
Eight gains on Technorati,
Seven Scoble gadgets,
Six BackType comments,
Five brand new friends,
Four Facebook apps,
Three Brogan blog posts,
Two Magpie tweets,
And the Twitter bird in a pear tree.

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Twelve more SM months ahead,
Eleven front page Diggs,
Ten MySpace Tom’s a-leaping,
Nine Yahoo Buzz ups,
Eight gains on Technorati,
Seven Scoble gadgets,
Six BackType comments,
Five brand new friends,
Four Facebook apps,
Three Brogan blog posts,
Two Magpie tweets,
And the Twitter bird in a pear tree!

Happy (early) Social Media Christmas everyone!

Discussing Social Media with… Susan Murphy

Sharing her views today is Susan Murphy, a partner at Jester Creative Inc., a new media production company based in Ottawa, Ontario (and a guest writer on this blog). My sincere thanks to Susan for taking the time to reply and share her views. To connect with Susan, or find out more about her, please visit her blog SuzeMuse.

If someone was to ask you for your definition of social media, what would it be?

I think that social media is one part of the realization of the original vision that Tim Berners-Lee had for the World Wide Web when he created it. Social media is worldwide network of human beings sharing information with one another. It?s people connecting, creating real relationships and opportunities out of those relationships for personal and professional growth.

What is your reason for using social media?

My real attachment to social media stems from my background in community access television. My involvement in community TV started when I was about 10 years old, working with my Dad at a local station he helped start in the small town where I grew up. It was no great surprise when my first job out of TV school was as a staff producer at a community station here in Ottawa.

What we were doing back then, in the 80?s and 90?s, was not unlike what?s going on in social media today. People giving of their own time to create great content. People reaching out and building communities and audiences around their creations.

My first taste of social media was in 2006, when on a total whim I attended Podcamp Toronto. There, I was fortunate to get to know Mark Blevis, Bob Goyetche, Chris Brogan and Christopher Penn. Their passion and commitment to sharing and to building communities really resonated with me. I learned more in 48 hours attending that one unconference than I had learned in the previous 8 years of being involved in web design. It opened my eyes wide and I haven?t looked back since.

Do you feel that social media is being used to its maximum effect?

If you think about how far we?ve come with social media in the past couple of years, we are definitely on the right track. There are still a lot of kinks to work out but I think that this community is by and far very solution oriented, and we?re working through the bugs and continuously moving forward.

As far as whether it?s being used to its maximum effect, I think that we are still living in a bubble when it comes to social media. I realize this every time I post something on my blog and my Mom (my biggest fan – she reads every post!) emails me wondering what a ?tweet? is, or an ?A lister?, or an ?unconference?. Getting over the insider terminology is a first step to bursting the bubble.

The next step is training and awareness, particularly at the community college level. The web designers and developers and PR and marketing people of tomorrow need to know what?s going on in here. And those of us inside the bubble have a responsibility to make sure they understand it.

What social media tools or applications do you use? Why these ones in particular?

All of them! Seriously, I am a power user of Twitter. I monitor my Twitter feed often and have met some of the most amazing people using that tool (including you!). I?ve gotten at least 3 new clients through Twitter and my followers have helped me out of a jam on more than one occasion. I also try to make a valuable contribution to the Twitterverse too, and I hope that I?m succeeding in that.

I am a moderate user of Facebook. I am one of the few who actually likes their new interface. I like that people can comment on status and other things right in the timeline. Makes it more conversational (and isn?t that what it?s all about?)

I am also on LinkedIn, though I don?t visit frequently enough and certainly don?t use the recommendation tools to their potential.

I use Google Reader and StumbleUpon extensively, and often share interesting blog posts that I come across through those tools.

My newest and most fascinating tool is BrightKite, which is a tool that allows you to poke in your current location then write notes or add photos. What I like about it is, it?s a step towards annotating the Web, which is a step towards the Semantic Web. It’s the next realization of what my hero, Tim Berners-Lee, was thinking when he created this whole WWW thing.

Where do you see the future of social media, both in general and for you?

As mentioned above, I see two things. First, I see the young people of today embracing this social Web and doing things with it that us 30 and 40-somethings would never dream of. I see that every day when I am in the classroom teaching these up and coming new media professionals.

Second, I see on the horizon the realization of the rest of Tim Berners-Lee?s vision of the Semantic Web ? a Web that is not just text on a screen, but a Web that is truly informed, that has the potential to impact every aspect of our lives. Imagine being able to bring enough people together and make enough real, human connections to end poverty. I think the Web of the future will be able to help us do that.

Are businesses effectively using social media? If not, what can they do to improve?

In our idealistic and bubble-sighted view, it would be great to say that businesses are effectively using social media. I think some businesses are being guided in the right direction, yes. But I think that in general, there are a lot of misconceptions about what social media is and how it really works. It?s a fundamental shift for businesses from the way they have traditionally done marketing and PR. It?s no longer about pushing ad copy down people?s throats. It?s about making real life, human-to-human connections. That scares a lot of people, because they think it will be a lot of work to reach out to every single one of their customers.

But that?s the beauty of social media. With one feeler in the right direction, you can touch many people at once. Businesses just need help and guidance to figure out how to overcome their apprehensions and take that step.

What do you feel are the best and worst features/uses of social media?

The best feature is absolutely the ability to connect with so many people. Not only have I met and become friends with and done business with people all over the world, I?ve met an outstanding community of people right here in my own city that I never would have otherwise gotten to know. It?s been life and career altering for me.

The worst feature is a tough one. I think, like any new medium, it causes panic. People start scrambling to the top, to try and make a fast buck, and end up stepping on a lot of toes on the way. As much as social media brings out the best in people, it sometimes brings out the worst in people too. It?s the nature of having such a wide-open place with so few restrictions.

However, what I?ve learned about this community is, the naysayers and jerks don?t last too long ? or at the very least they get put in their place.

You can find more ?Discussing Social Media with?? interviews here.

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For Those About to Bob – We Salute You

Okay, so sue me for being an AC/DC fan. But hey, what a classic song! Apart from being a slight spin on words of the Aussie rockers’ classic, though, it’s an apt description for all the Bobs in the world. Confused? Here’s why.

I read Chris Brogan’s latest blog post today, which told the story of Bob (not his real name). The basis of the story is that Bob engaged the customers of the company he works for by interacting with them online.

This was via a forum, and Bob found that the customers in question loved the fact he was communicating with them. It was as if the company he worked for really wanted to know what their customers thought.

However, Bob’s company found out about his online conversations and senior managers weren’t happy – despite the fact Bob was putting the company in a hugely positive light. I won’t give you all the details – Chris describes it far better in his own inimitable style, and I’d highly recommend reading it. Suffice to say, it was the example of another company not getting social media.

Why is this? Why do so many companies, small and large, fail so miserably to get what could be one of the best promotional tools they could ever have? Is it because they don’t understand it? Or is it because they just see it as a waste of time because there’s no tangible return on investment (ROI)?

A good friend of mine has an interesting view on ROI in social media. Chris Kelly, a new media marketing expert working at 77Academy, offers his viewpoints from a marketer’s perspective. What makes Chris’s views even more interesting is the fact that, despite being the traditional type of professional for whom ROI is everything, Chris acknowledges that this isn’t the way to go.

In one of Chris’s recent blog posts, he talks of how businesses – and marketer’s in particular – are getting it wrong by approaching social media from an ownership perspective. While it would obviously be simpler for businesses to understand social media if there was a tangible ROI to work from, this won’t happen for the simple fact that social media doesn’t work this way.

It’s about connecting with your customers, and helping them make decisions. Not telling them how to make these decisions, but offering the knowledge and tools that will help them to decide instead.

You want to sell your latest gardening supertool to the masses? Get online, meet your audience, listen to what they’re saying and converse. As a human being. As a person. Not as a corporate entity who reads everything from an autocue.

The companies that get this idea will be the ones that benefit. They’ll be the ones that employ guys like Chris Kelly and listen to consultants like Chris Brogan. The others? They’ll be Bob’s employers – though for how long remains questionable. After all, it’s easier to change companies than it is to change mindsets.

But I’m sure Bob has already figured that one out.