sonny gill

Who I Learn from Every Single Day

Who inspires you to be a better person? Makes you want to read more, learn more, and put actionable ideas and plans into place? Who makes everything fall into place, and because of that increases your knowledge and awareness?

I’m incredibly fortunate that I’m part of a great community, both here at my blog and on the likes of Twitter and LinkedIn. Some great minds wander these social hallways and impart some immense wisdom every single day. Today, I want to share four of the folks that get my creative and business juices going, each and every day.

David Spinks is one of the smartest Gen Y guys around (and there are a few). He runs a blog over at davidspinks.com that continuously makes me ask questions – always a good thing. He has a knack of opening discussions like nobody’s business, like the one on The Social Media Bubble. David has his finger on the pulse of a lot of what’s making impact in the digital space – so much so that Scribnia took him on as their Community Manager over the summer. Yes, he’s that good.

Sonny Gill is a bit of a Jack of all trades (in a very good way), though his blog at sonnygill.com announces him as an online marketer. I’ve been connected with Sonny on Twitter for a while now, and had some really great thought-provoking conversations with him about marketing and social media (hey, two? of my passions!). Sonny’s also the co-founder of #CmtyChat on Twitter, discussing all things community (another passion!). Basically, this guy’s got smarts.

Susan Murphy is one of the most singularly brilliant and creative people I know, with drive that would make an F1 race car seem slow. Let’s see – she’s partner at Jester Creative; she teaches Video Production and Web Media at her college in Ottawa; she’s on the Board of Directors at SAW Video, promoting Ottawa’s media artists; she co-produced the 12for12k promo video. Oh, and she writes one of the more human social media blogs around over at SuzeMuse.ca. Simply put, Susan is doing what we sometimes just talk about.

Jim Connolly is a marketing guy from my neck of the woods over in the U.K. And a little bit more. Jim writes a consistently kick-ass blog over at jimsmarketingblog.com (does EXACTLY what it says on the tin) that strips down marketing for businesses of all sizes into easy-to-implement action plans and ladders to success. He’s also got a cool blog over at thetechnewsblog.com where he shares some of the lesser-known tech and business news. You want a sharp mind? Check Jim out.

There are many, many more people that I learn from daily and I’ll revisit this list frequently to hopefully introduce you to more great people.

I’m a firm believer that we never stop learning – once we think we know it all, we may as well give up the game because we’ll just be left behind. These folks, and others like them, help me stay in touch with the rest of the pack and for that I’m truly grateful.

How about you – who’s your learning post?

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?

Discussing Social Media with… Sonny Gill

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 social media strategist Sonny Gill. His work emphasizes community-centric strategies through the use of social media. My sincere thanks to Sonny for taking the time to reply and share his views. To connect with Sonny or find out more about him, please visit his social media blog or connect with Sonny on Twitter.

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

Ah, the elusive answer that many of us seek! Well, here?s my personal definition: Social Media is the new technological means that help us build, enhance and grow our communications channels, as well as our relationships ? online and offline.

What is your reason for using social media?

Community ? simple as that. I was intrigued by the medium a few years back as I became acclimated with the space by reading some of the top blogs in the industry. I was amazed at how a group of people, that you may or may not know, actually cared about what you had to say.

I?ve always been a marketing nerd at heart but the possibilities with implementing social media into the mix were endless ? but more importantly, it gave me a place where I could better connect with people and actually build relationships with them.

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

Not at all. We all have helped pave the road to get SM to where it is today, but there?s an even longer road ahead. That road consists of further education to clients, executives, naysayers ? those who don?t understand how it can benefit their company but more so, who brush it off as a fad or a shiny new toy. It?s more than that and it?s our responsibility to prove them wrong. I think we all should keep this in mind as we move forward in this industry.

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

I can usually be found on Twitter for the better part of the day, along with Facebook and LinkedIn. Twitter is my original social media stomping ground. It?s where I first ?got it? and it?s where I?ve been able to connect with hundreds of people that I would not even had the chance to speak with otherwise.

Facebook has always been a safe haven for me and my personal friends that I grew up with or went to college with. Now, it?s kind of shifted into both personal & professional as I connect with people from my other networks and further build our relationship there while having the ability to share media (pictures, video) easier than I would on Twitter.

Lastly, LinkedIn is a site that I?ve always praised and hope that all my close friends and colleagues actively utilize. It?s your online resume, your background check for potential employers or clients, your own research tool. I connect with colleagues, old and new, as well as friends. I never know who I may need to know for that next pitch or possibly for that next employer ? staying connected gives me a greater chance for an introduction, for myself or for a friend or colleague that?s in the same boat.

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

I think 2009 will bring SM to the forefront of marketing and communication strategies across many industries. The economic times is a sometimes overworked topic but one that can be addressed with social media, as there?s low monetary cost, though makes up for with the soft-cost of time.

For myself, I see social media further expanding my knowledge in the industry and in marketing as a whole. The great thing about SM is that everyone is willing to help, grow and learn with you. There are no limitations in this industry, as it?s all a matter of how hungry you are. Personally, I hope to utilize the skills I?ve learned and implemented within SM to hone my skills into a role where I can help a company maximize their potential, by tapping into what?s most important to their business ? the people.

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

Some are but most don?t get it, yet. With all its glitz and glamour, social media is still slowly being adopted by the corporate world. They?re getting their feet wet as some are on Twitter or have started a blog.

What misses the boat though is how they?re conversing with their community and the amount of time they?re putting forth.

First thing for them to understand is that social media is an extension of their current strategy, which needs to be understood throughout the entire company?s culture, as it?s not an end-all or going to save a failing strategy.

Listening and then communicating with your company?s community is a great initial step but use social media to help your community, not the other way around. This topic could definitely go into an entire post of its own but listening and learning is a good start for businesses to improve their use of social media.

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

I think by far the worst use of social media is the implementation of an MLM (multi-level marketing) strategy through Twitter. These tactics guarantee a massive amount of followers but what then? They fail to realize the time and effort aspect of social media and that it takes a lot of both to connect and build relationships, not numbers. They?re not utilizing Twitter for the benefit of conversation or relationships; they?re using it to get tons of followers.

Though this is one of the worst uses of SM that I?ve personally seen, it?s not something that?s sustainable. It?s easily seen / avoidable and the people who?ve done it will soon realize that there?s nothing more to their communities, than numbers, when there?s no substance behind it.

photo credit: Matt Hamm

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

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