Archive | December, 2009

Be The Tree That Bends

by on December 18, 2009 in Best Practices

I have been thinking about a story one of my yoga teachers tells. It goes roughly like this, there are 2 trees growing by a river, a very large broad tree and a small supple tree. The large tree mocked the smaller tree laughing at their differences, relishing his comparative strength. The small tree smiled and continued his natural duties of processing light and air. A huge storm flooded the river, massive winds tore thru the trees, until the large tree caught so much air it crashed into the river and floated away. The small tree bent with the wind, flexing this way and that until the storm passed.

As you navigate the world of social and professional networking, holiday parties, and even driving on the streets – Be The Tree That Bends.

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Listening Better – What We Need To Do in 2010

by on December 13, 2009 in Best Practices, FaceBook, LinkedIn

My cousin Jesse told me this summer that I need to listen more, hear what people are saying and avoid being condescending. Somewhere along the line I lost some of my sensitivity, my filter, that keeps me from acting like a know it all. This was hard to hear, because it was personal and honest. I swallowed my humble pie and started thinking about what this means in the big picture of social and professional networking.

Listen More. Hear what people are saying. Whether you are meeting someone for the first time or they are an old client or friend, listening for the conversational cues that communicate what you need to know. When somebody says “call me,” they mean it. Avoid being the person who always says “let’s get lunch sometime,” and never follows up with an email or phone call. Be the person who calls, asks people to get together, stays in touch.

Listen More. I have a lot of information to share and I love to talk with people. This is a dangerous combination. I am committed to listening more, hearing what your ideas and/or problems are and finding out what kind of solution you are looking for. Remember, people generally know their business very well, they hold the secrets you need to mix in with the tools you bring to the party. In the best situations conversation is natural, this means we need to pay attention more to listening and identifying exactly how we can be a resource to someone. In the worst situations, you need to ask questions and get people talking. Find out what rubs them the wrong way and get yourself some material to engage with.

Why is this such a funny topic for social media? Whenever we post a status update or tweet, we are talking. Listening has become harder and harder. Easy ways to listen are as follows:
1) Search your name on Twitter (really easy thru the Twitter site or any of the software programs). Are people talking about you?
2) Read your friends posts on FaceBook, comment, “like” stuff, engage their media. FaceBook will become a lot more fun. and interesting. You will need to implement and fine tune your Lists on FaceBook if you are going to do this.
3) Check LinkedIn daily and see what kind of updates are coming thru your network. Read your connections recommendations, answers and their updates. Occasionally comment, always participate.

These are three easy ways to start listening more on your social and professional networks. As you listen more, you will get better at it and it will become easier. Listening Better – What We Need To Do in 2010. Start Now!

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Go Local – Each One Teach One – We Are The World

by on December 11, 2009 in Best Practices

Continuing a theme started a few weeks ago at the local Cleveland Social Media Club, I’d like to share what I see coming in social media and the world of social and professional networking in 2010. I start from the idea that there has been a settling in the market with some very clear winners (FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube) – This means I am transitioning away from what is the next big thing and focusing on Going Local, Each One Teach One and We Are The World. What do I mean by this?

The future of business next year is LOCAL. Meaning get your local business integrated into Social Networks. Help them find the right aesthetic, communicate the most compelling message and truly be engaging. The message of customer service and discounts is very much 2008. The race to the bottom is on, the cream will rise to the top. Your local business does not need to “listen” to you, they need to find their voice and communicate their essence that makes you spend your money with them. This takes time, energy and commitment. As you connect up with your local businesses, remind yourself to support them (shop there). Increasingly, I am trying to eat local, shop local and work local. Become a Locavore, Go Local in 2010!

Education and social media has a long way to go. These websites are software, it takes time and a teacher to understand how to use them. If you are in the know, share it and help people use these tools more effectively. The smarter everyone gets with social media the more interesting these networks will get. This call to action starts at home – helping your significant other, spreads to helping a friend and then bringing your skills to a local business. When I look at the landscape, I don’t see big changes coming. Yahoo will continue to consistently fail at social networking, GoogleWave (sonicallstar@googlewave) is interesting but a very slow moving wave right now and I don’t see anything else really interesting happening. This means we need to focus on fundamentals (Back2Basics). Get really good with FaceBook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Learn how to Blog. Even if you are not an expert, engage people in the discussion and help them use their tools better. Each One Teach One!

As we hit the holiday season, I am increasingly obsessed with the idea of how can we help people. You may have seen me asking about KIVA recently. I asked people what they were doing in a Wave on GoogleWave and got 2 great responses. Susie Sharp mentioned she is putting in elbow grease and donating her time and energy. I love this and have encouraged her to Blog! Robert S. said “provide all possible assistance to people seeking work.” The more I thought about this simple and pure statement, the more I have become convinced it is the secret to ending the current recession and becoming an innovative and productive society again. If each of us helps someone we know get employed or even just stay employed we can get this economy back on its feet one person at a time. This is truly a grass roots effort.

As a bridge builder, you know that I love to introduce people to each other. Sometimes it is simply hey you both like this and I like both of you. Usually it is an introduction that I think will improve the business opportunities of both parties. My friend Mark J. hosts a wine and tequila night at his house to introduce people to each other and get his mutual friends working to help each other. In today’s market, it is about keeping people working. If you know someone that needs a job or wants to grow their business, keep an eye out for people or situations that will help them, then facilitate the introduction. In my not-so-humble opinion, this is the BEST thing you can do today! You can make a difference in the world! Start Now…We Are The World!

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Make New Friends but Keep the Old

by on December 6, 2009 in Best Practices, FaceBook

One is Silver and the Other is Gold…

Susie JamieAfter advising you to get rid of some friends, I want to make sure you make some new friends. Susie is a 2009 friend who randomly entered my world of FaceBook. For the first month I debated hiding her as she posts a lot of links. Each day as I looked thru my news feed, I’d think…”Oy Vey…this crazy lady is going to kill me.” Yet each day, something Susie posted would interest me enough to keep her around for another day. Also, because I effectively use Lists on FaceBook (see earlier post), her frequent posts did not negatively impact my news feed. People like Susie keep FaceBook fresh and interesting, she is solid gold.

Along the way, we got together for coffee before work and got to know each other beyond FB. Instead of wanting to hide Susie, I look forward to seeing her around town, like last week at the Imagine Benefit. She stopped by to say hi and make a donation to help save kids enslaved in Nepal. As she met my family, I was reminded of the importance of going out. You will almost always run into people you know and be reminded of activities you should be following up on. Susie took the opportunity to remind me of the local blogger meet up by the Lake Erie Moose Society. I was planning on going, but the gentle reminder was enough to make me verbally commit. Susie is a VERY effective networker and I love the picture above, it really captures the exuberance Susie brings to everything she does.

As you are out over the holidays, keep your business cards handy and make some new friends. Follow up quickly on a network like LinkedIn and make plans to get together in January when all of our schedules slow down. Whatever you do, avoid letting those cards you collect sit in a pile gathering dust. You might put on a few pounds as you lighten the wallet eating lunch or breakfast out, but it is critical to your future that you stay social and engaged with your friends and network. Email, call, text, IM your people and get plans on the calendar. The more you listen, the more you share, the more you will find opportunities for you to help people and work together with people. Be More Social.

The title is a song we used to sing at the Windham Tolland 4-H Camp as we left Time For Thought. I sing it to Olivia today as it is still relevant to me and an important reminder. “Make New Friends, but Keep the Old…One is Silver and the Other is Gold.” I might have lost some of the words along the way, but I always hum a few verses and sing it somewhat randomly. What does this song mean to you???

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