Social media: Please stand up and be counted
Posted on 17. Feb, 2009 by Kimberly in business
- Image by HubSpot via Flickr
Here is a comment I made earlier on http://www.halfwaytonormal.com/?p=269 regarding social media and Chris Brogan’s comment regarding “dammed if you do and dammed if you don’t”:
This seems to be a very present question as of late regarding social media, connections and the final statement of it all. Chris Brogan’s comment above highlights some of the outplay: dammed if you do and dammed if you don’t. While we are building our brand and creating meaningful relationships and connections (notice I did separate those and I meant to) — no one want to appear as an elite nor spammy by just following/adding as a friend for the sake of numbers. It is not a numbers game and I think it really should not be for those who are wanting to foster better communications, grow as a person and in their business and who approach social media as a launching pad. So much can be accomplished; so much can be learned, but we need to make sure we are allowing those connections to happen. Everyone will choose the social media outlet that works best for them, be it Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or any of the hundreds now available. Remember, if it is just numbers you want and boast about, there will not be the draw to you from people who want meaningful connections. When someone adds me as a friend and I read their Twitter bio, read their tweets, check out their web site and only see them boasting about numbers, spamming with DM links as soon as you add them and how I can make millions with their advice, they are not followed for sure. Nothing meaningful there for me at all.
I applaud Chris because I think he has handled the attention in social media very well. He comes across as a person you can really have a chat with. Although a very busy man fur sure, he makes you feel like he has the time to have a deep, entertaining and thought provoking discussion. A good lesson to learn and an example for all of us.
One of the most frequent discussions I am having with colleagues and clients is centered around social media and corporate responsibility. There is a lot to be said regarding how we conduct ourselves and what the desired realistic outcome is to be. There will always be those who attempt to spill the apple cart — as in the spammers on twitter who caused 4 prominent twitter members to have their accounts suspended due to the spam cloud and spammers that were following them (whatever that really means, come on twitter) — but do not throw the baby out with the bath water. With new technology and methods there is a lot to be gained from wise, consistent and meaningful use of it.
Another point I made concerning non-profits using social media on the article Social Media Meets Social Responsibility
I think that the comment from Stacy Monk of Epic Change that, “She used Twitter pretty well, even though some say it is an over-hyped social networking tool” brings to light the fallacy concerning social media. Yes, interacting takes time but the rewards are amazing. Developing a relationship with people, conversing them before you ask for the contents of their wallet is a must. Non-profits that expect the money to rolling, or people to just find them and give are not realistic with the new demands of the economy and the death grip people have on their finances today.
The old methods will not work anymore. People are more globally involved, interactive and intelligently using technology to connect. In order to meet the people where they are, non-profits have to step up to the video cam or mouse as it were.
Time to really allow the natural flow of social media to make meaningful connections, take our personal and business growth to a new level and truly communicate.
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Kimberly Beaven is a Web Designer and Creative Director of BlueWave Media. She is is truly a gadget girl who loves architecture, photography, design and coding. Learn more via twitter or her Google Profile. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to our RSS feed.