Personal Media - Nah - Social Media Sounds Better

Tonight on Twitter I was reviewing profiles of new connections made throughout the day.  I always check out profiles of those following me, and read their tweets before following them.  I generally try to RT at least one post for each new person that I follow.  I came across this one tonight:

@joelcomm tweets to @GrowMap "Without personal touch, you limit the social in social media" 

And to that I say... 

Really!  SOCIAL Media... Say that again... SOCIAL Media.  Be personal - be social!

I have to say, I'm very much enjoying really digging into Twitter and getting to know some really fabulous people!  Once you engage others in conversation and take a genuine interest in what other people have to say - rather than what you can get out of it - you'll be hooked!

I almost feel bad - I seem to get out of it, more than I feel I give, but at the same time, others are ReTweeting my goodies, and I got some great shout outs today for #followfriday!  It's humbling and so very much appreciated.  I only hope I can give back ten-fold!

I really don't know what I have to offer, but I know that I enjoy chatting with and listening to what others have to share.  I'm finding the more I listen, the more I am heard.  Amazing really.

Your personal touches can go such a long way in Social Media, so long as they are sincere.  Insincerity in social networking is spotted a mile away!  Maybe you do have something to sell on Twitter, and that's okay - but that will come in time if you are passionate about building real relationships - those relationships will build your brand and drive your business.

A few points I struggle with that I have run into in Social Media networks:

-->  You follow me on Twitter, so naturally I want to learn more about you and what makes you tick, and perhaps what I might be able to share with you - but your Tweets are blocked?  How the heck am I supposed to get to know you?

-->  On LinkedIn... You have a public profile on a business networking site, but when I express a sincere interest in networking with you, I'm told "I only accept connection requests from people I've already done business with" - Now to me that defeats the entire purpose of LinkedIn and Social Media.

--> On Facebook...  I send you a friend request because perhaps we work in the same industry, we have a similar interest, or common connections - and am told "I only connect with people I have met face to face".  Again - Facebook with 160,000,000 users... I use FB for personal and for business.  And I purposely do not keep those profiles separate, after all I am a person, so my personality is personal, and I am who I am personally and professionaly and they are the same person!  Make sense?  Why would you NOT want to connect and get know a potential information sharing source?

I understand the privacy thing - but in some regards, and on some networks, it defeats the purpose of SOCIAL MEDIA.

I will continue to remind everyone to #payitforward in all you do (Twitter and beyond)!  Give more than you want to receive and you'll get far more than you ever imagined possible - but BE SINCERE!

Thanks for the inspiration @joelcomm - I truly look forward to following you!  

Selling Cars Through Social Media

A month or so ago I got a request to follow a blog on Facebook's Networked Blog- it was the first request of this kind I had received on Facebook.  Having my own blog (of course), I was intrigued by this request - as we are all looking for ways to market our blogs.

The request was to follow Best Used Cars Blog.  And why would I follow this blog if I am not in the market for a car?  Well the answer is quite simple - because it's a good blog filled with good content.

Eric does a great job of putting an interesting spin on his content, he incorporates video, imagery, humor, facts and presents at a level that everyone can enjoy and understand.  He gives the consumer very sound advice to assist in knowing how to buy a car and not get scammed.  Given the state of the auto-industry today, and the economy - his blog should be in its prime with the information he is providing.

He also has a few pieces of content that are unique - Car Dealer Confessions, and a Tweet & Greet Interview asking the users questions about their first cars and their personalities related to their cars - it took me 5-10 minutes to complete and I had some fun with it!

Check out this blog - I do reccommend it.  Give Eric a Tweet-Out at @auctiondirect as well!

As a final side-note I have found that 2/3 of my blog traffic is coming from Facebook through profile links and Networked Blogs, and the other third is coming primarily from Twitter - just a tidbit I thought I'd share.

Getting to Know Your Contacts

As I have vowed to learn about each and every contact between Twitter, Facebook and Linked in, I'm now a bit overwhelmed with this daunting task.  As I sit back and assess the situation, I realize that in just a few short months, I have amassed roughly 1,000 contacts...  

That's A LOT of people to get to know...  But I will do it, I will get them (you) all organized and itemized.  I will review every profile one at a time and try to learn little bits and pieces about each contact.

Today I learned that one new connection on Facebook resides in the same town as two of my best friends from high school.  I also learned that he was an Account Manager for Yellow Book, and he and his wife were blessed with a beautiful baby recently.

With almost 700 Twitter followers, I have decided to attack this 5 or 10 at a time... Here's what I learned today about my new contacts - maybe you see something here that interest you, and find someone new to follow on Twitter:

@kidpartyplanner  is a pretty cool chick.  She has a web site all about kids party planning, and also works to help other women promote their blogs and their businesses.

@robmcnealy has a great philosophy on twitter use - basically... respect my space and time... I will respect yours.  Rob has a huge following as a serial blogger and social media expert  - I look forward to following his blog and believe there is much to be learned here.

@jennywrites sells a product that is much like the sticker chart I'm currently using to potty train my 3 year old.  It's a color-wrist band system (like the "live strong" bands), and with each day or each goal you change colors.  Love the concept!  

@dannybrown is making things happen with his 12 for 12 challenge.  He's working his Facebook Blog and Group, and getting noticed on Twitter.  His 2009 challenge to raise 12,000 for 12 charities is a lofty goal.  I give him props knowing he faces massives challenges to make this a reality.

@nixthenews well he just has fun tweets, video posts, and other fun stuff to take reality breaks often when greatly needed.   Today for example - a video clip of Bill Murray from "Groundhog's Day" - a classic (and today being that day - very fitting).  Great Tweets!

Those are just a few I follow, and an example of how I intend to learn a bit about 1,000 connections I have made in the past few months.  I am no expert, just a small internet marketing account manager looking to grow and this is just my $.02

But If I add up the $.02 I take from everyone else I connect with online - it sure does add up to a lot of valuable information.

See you on Twitter!

@socialpmchick

Getting to Know Your Networks

Facebook Connections

So I recently created a page on Facebook dedicated to Artichokes and in just a week, I have over 100 followers of this page.  At first I felt it was just an experiment to see how many people would find it if I worked it through various channels on Facebook, Twitter and yes - even LinkedIn.

What I'm finding now is that I'm actually connecting with some great people!  Every person that has "become a fan" of my page I have requested their friendship on Facebook, and am slowing getting to know some really great people!

What's more, I'm asking them all how they found the page - some through silly game applications, some through an actual search on FB for "artichokes" - yes people do search on it (I did), and some by seeing posts on others profiles, and a few from Twitter...  It has been a good lesson on what tools are in place to gain some awareness in Facebook.

The thought I take away from this - as with Twitter and LinkedIn - the same rule would apply.  Making these connections does absolutely no good if you don't make the effort to exchange information with and get to know your networked connections!

What's the point of connecting with people if you have nothing share?  As on Twitter, share your experiences and expertise, but also share some of yourself on a personal level.  Allow people in cyberspace to see that you are real and honest.

Just short post in the wee hours of the morning - but some thoughts I wanted to share.