Posts Tagged ‘LinkedIn’

Beginning Social Media – Part 5

Monday, January 19th, 2009

We’ve covered quite a bit on social media, but this post is going to talk about being genuine, being yourself and how that can help, and sometimes hurt you in social media.

Let’s face it, we all have a personality, we all have quirks and we all have that which is desirable and that which is not….showing that to the world via social media and networks can either shoot you to the top, or bury you in the mud. While reading and finding out more about social media and networks, I found a great post on how to socially network if you’ve been laid off over on Scobelizer.com. The unfortunate truth is, I left a job in September, found a temporary gig in November and was laid off from that temporary gig in December, it didn’t last quit as long as I wanted, but that’s a different story all together.

The article details ideas on what to do and what not to do when using social media to enhance job seeking. Mainly, there are a lot of things people have on the web about themselves that really is not professional: drinking photos, slams towards others, slams against companies, child-like behavior, rude, crude and you name it. Unfortunately landing a job, wherein HR managers and other execs are getting more “social media savvy” this can spell doom. But what about if you are not looking for employment? What impact does anything have then? One word could be used to solve both situations and scenarios: Genuine.

We have all seen the “Only use XYZ components and accessories with your XYZ Gidget” from product manufacturers. But when we talk about being genuine, being yourself, that’s different to a whole new degree. The one thing I have noticed is too many people have an “online alter-ego” that is different than they are in person. Why? Anonymity? Privacy concerns? Who knows…. When we are in social gatherings in the real-world, how many times to people (either ourselves, or people we meet) put on a front, or become someone for the setting? You look at some of the people I have mentioned during this series of articles, and you will find out from reading their blogs, watching their videos, seeing their tweets etc that they remain pretty consistent and constant across the board, no matter what the social setting online is. I would venture to say they are the same in person, and if they were not their peers would probably have well pointed that out to the world now, because that is what people do.

The important point here is: WHO ARE YOU?

Figure that out, and then stick to it. If, as pointed out in the article on Scobelizer.com, you are a programmer, blog about programming, tweet about it, setup your LinkedIn to be that. Be who you are. Better, Say who you are and Be who you are. Above all, stick to it, no matter the medium: online, offline, on the phone, in email, on Twitter. Why? Because people can see when you are not who you say or claim to be. Example: I am a web developer, I blog some about web design, web development, PHP programming, Images and graphics and social media because it all ties to web development. The occasional post, such as this one about getting my first Harley seems okay because it lets people, such as future employers, know that yes I am a rounded person and do have hobbies outside of sitting in front of a screen. But much of the truly personal stuff is kept elsewhere separate, and much of that is highly moderated as to what is actually in the “wild” for the web to see.

So in keeping with being Genuine, I have started to make a more concerted effort in keeping all my social interactions, blogs, comments, tweets, and so on, centered around who I am, what I do and why. Is that so difficult for people to do? I think sometimes it is, because in any social setting it is easy to let those who know us least think we are better, stronger, faster or whatever than we really are. Unfortunately in social media, this is found out fast and furious and it can kill any chance of successfully taking advantage of all the promise new media holds. You may say something at a small party to gain attention of another person, you might try the same in social media online. Either way, you are bound to be found and bashed later for it. It’s the simple fact that social media can move this finding and bashing to a speed at which you will shudder next time you feel to “exaggerate” a little or smudge a “little white lie”.

The next article in this series is going to do a wrap-up by presenting a nice list of things social media can do for us as individuals, and maybe a bit on what it can do for businesses. Then comes the wrap-up of ideas discussed throughout the series, kind of a check-list if you will.

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Beginning Social Media – Part 4

Monday, January 19th, 2009

So we have looked at social networking and decided we must provide value, and must get value from those around us on our networks, whether it is a Blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or whatever combination we are using. What about the key ingredient to “social media”?

Defining Social

Again I use Dictionary.com to define a word: pertaining to, devoted to, or characterized by friendly companionship or relations

Friendly companionship or relationships. Social defined.

Throughout using various social network and media tools I am sure you have noticed things that I have noticed. People hating on others, derogatory remarks, rude and crude. People are people after all, and all you have to do is go into any largely populated area, whether it is a store, restaurant or city and you will see how people really are, and social media and networks are not immune to the human factor. Taking this into consideration, I found a great post by Jeremy Shoemaker, a.k.a. Shoemoney, that talks about the Seven Deadly Sins For People Trying To Make Money Online. While this post of his is not necessarily geared towards social media, we can learn to apply some of the principles to what we want to get out of this new paradigm and maybe make better choices and gain better results.

He talks about ENVY – do you envy the people I have posted about in this series? Their success? Their followers and network size? Their interactions? Why? Envy does not make you strive harder for success in the right way, no it makes you strive for success by doing that which is not your best. How is that? If the simple drive mechanism to your social media use is merely to top and best those that are already there, your drive train is weak and underpowered to keep up, let alone surpass them. These guys get the social media tools, they understand the “social” and the “value” side of it. They have been building faster engines, stronger transmissions and an all-around better social media drive train, probably for longer than you have been. They are using top grade tools and parts, called vision, value, intuition, experience and knowledge to revamp their social media processes and they have filled their tanks with high-octane fuel – fuel that is the quest to be the best they can be. What is your drive train consisting of? A Ford Pinto? By using envy as your drive, that’s exactly what you will be driving trying to surpass them in.

PRIDE is another big one in social media and networks. How many tweets do you get that are self-centered, egotistical and generally all about “me” type? I used to get quite a bit until I un-followed some annoyances in my network. All about me belongs on “MY”space, you know the name implies it’s all about me, my, and I. Does it mean you can never say, “Hey, check this out and let me know what you think?” No, but don’t ask what people think just to look good and not look all self-promoting….ask it because you truly value what your network, friends and followers think and feel. Trust me, they will sniff you out, smell you from a mile away and mark you with “stench” if you are not genuine in that interest, and your network and social media experience will suffer tremendously.

Being a SHOWOFF is one last point I want to apply to social media. How many people boast about the number of followers they have on Twitter? Too many. How many have so many connections on LinkedIN you know there is no way they are doing anything other than building as much as they can in hopes for as much exposure as possible, and possibly just to say they have that many in their network. In some cases, you will find those who have successfully made money from social media, and they will tell you how much they made, not once, not twice but usually repeatedly….not once do they share a tip, share a process or anything about what works or doesn’t work. Now, I am not saying we should give all our secrets away, no way, and neither does Shoemaker. But helping others achieve their goals is one aspect of social media that fits within the idea of “friendly companionship and relationships”.

Now, we also need to realize that this doesn’t just apply to what we do using social media. It applies to those in our network, friends list or followers. If you are following people who are envious of you, what do you gain? The ability for them to throw bashes at you, and yes you need thick skin in this business, but why force that ability on them? Un-follow them, remove them as a friend….let them go elsewhere on their bashing, ranting and cursing sprees. If you are following someone full of pride, always self-boasting – are you getting value from them? Probably not. Lose them, and don’t worry about it, the world is full of people using social media that can positively impact your experience. And the last one, seeing someone showoff can be fun, amusing, insightful and sometimes inspirational. But too often the showoffs do it repeatedly and their message never changes. Do we need that in our networks and social media experiences? I don’t, how about you?

The next part of this series will look at making yourself be yourself in social media, and how being genuine is the best policy. If that’s not enough, how about being yourself so if a potential employer sees your social media activities (blogging, commenting, twitter, facebook etc) they are genuinely impressed with you knowing who you are, doing what you do and being genuinely who you are.

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