Archives for January 2010

Errors in Judgement

eyes Sometimes we make decisions based on a spur of the moment emotion. We read or hear something we disagree with, and take it to a higher level than it probably needs to go.

This leads us to reacting.

It could be that we speak out about what we’ve just disagreed with. It could be that we place someone on a filtered list, whether it’s email, blog comments, Twitter feeds or similar. Sometimes we continue that reaction long after the reason for its initiation has passed.

Reacting is ordinary. Reacting is human. Reacting is our emotions telling us that we don’t like something. Yet continuing that reaction isn’t ordinary. Sadly, I’m guilty of that, and was reminded twice this week (once just this morning).

Which makes me kind of hypocritical.

Look around this blog. Aside from the posts about social media, marketing, tools and platforms, hopefully one of the biggest things that comes across is that of community. It’s in my tagline; it’s why I have guest bloggers; it’s why I have an open comments policy. To me community is everything, and I try and share ways for you to build community as well (if you wish to).

Holding onto reactions isn’t community building. Speaking out long after the fact isn’t community building. I know this, and yet I fell guilty to it, and it took the wise words of two very smart people to make me realize this.

So.

This is my apology, for letting extended reactions go on way too long. We’re all human and we all make errors in judgement. I promise not to let mine continue so long the next time.

photo credit: [phil h]

To Blog or Not to Blog

Day 48 / 365. Here’s a quick thought I just want to share with you, in case you’re wondering whether you should start a blog (or even if you’re currently blogging and are thinking you need to up your content level).

Stop thinking about it so much. Stop analyzing every single word you’ve just written. Stop holding your finger from the Publish tab. Stop trying to find that perfect phrase to say what you’re thinking. Stop giving yourself reasons not to post.

Instead, offer the one single reason why you should post – because it’s not perfect.

Raw is human. Raw is personal. Raw is exactly what you want to say at that given moment, and that makes it what you should say.

By all means, if your blog is corporate-minded and you need it to be “just so” for legal and other reasons, then do take more time and care.

But for the rest of you (and that includes me), forget the perfection. Forget the reasons not to. Your readers want your voice, not fabricated perfection.

Ready to blog?

photo credit:?Sarah Nitt

Are You Online Right Now?

This is a guest post from close friend and writer?Christina Kingston, who blogs over at CtKingston.com and is one of my 10 Bloggers to Watch in 2010.

If you’re online right now then?

Who’s watching rickety, old, near-death grandpa?
Who’s feeding the children?
Who’s French kissing the wife?

I was chatting with good friend and fellow blogger, Danny Brown, randomly discussing a multitude of topics. We touched upon one that made us both laugh.

The questions above, though harrowing, propelled a few snickers in regards to the “topic” we chuckled over, which boils down to web time spent versus real life squandered.

Danny suggested I write it up as a guest post on his site, but as time passed and rough drafts got cranked out, scattering by my desk side, I began to feel this particular blog might be too offensive for many of my career-oriented, married-with-children friends. It might even be offensive to my very close single friends who are sadly barren, unloved, lonely, and all alone without a clue how to survive in the workplace. I love these people.

Normally I have no problem being aggressive in prose or real life. I can easily blame my parents for this failing and that’s always a relief. Someone to blame. Once in a while I phone my folks, thanking them profusely for being such rotters. So rotten that their actions provided me with an infinite excuse. They hate those calls, but so be it, suck on it Ma and Pa! They know what they’ve done.

But this blog thing? I thought maybe I could just soft-pedal the initial idea so as not to appear accusatory of anyone I personally know, the ones who give the web their undivided attention, meanwhile habitually ignoring their wives, husbands, bfs, gfs, friends, children, jobs?

But no way, that’s what the whole piece was supposed to be about — the anti-social aspects of social networking as it pertains to the love showered on strangers, as opposed to the rampant disregard for those closest to us.

Although I see this kind of neglect often, I certainly wouldn’t map out anyone’s Internet timeline to prove how nearly impossible it’d be to find space where they might have had a moment to ask, “Hi kids, how was school?”? Or even microwave a meal for themselves. And the married ones, do they ever talk with their spouses? They are online far too often to have sex with them, that’s clear.

And is the company they work for paying any attention to their sloppy work ethic? How much longer can these people keep a job? How many of these human animals once had an active social life, solid relationship and successful career only to blindly watch it dwindle while they squander away the hours on a social networking site? This question seemed like a good, possibly very serious blog idea.

But the more I spun it the more it felt potentially a tiny-bit rude.

I’m sure others will and or have tackled this dilemma. However, this kind of dicey subject will probably never be written by me.

But I’ll still wonder, “Who is feeding the children?” I also might think, “It’s no wonder your mate is cheating on you,” and occasionally imagine, “Of course your company flounders and you have zero job security.” I kinda might ponder such things every once in awhile, but I sure won’t be bringing it up in public.

Maybe Danny will? You’ll have to ask him. Actually don’t ask him, I doubt either one of us has much interest in that sort of discussion.

Please leave your thoughts below.

Sounding Off

Sorry for the interruption to normal service, but I just wanted to get a few things off my chest. Hope you don’t mind, and normal service will be resumed tomorrow with a great guest post from Christina Kingston. So…

To the douchebags on the train that insist on using the external speakers of their iPods, at least put some decent music on. If I must be subjected to your unplugged iPod, can it be something other than the crap you play?
To the Internet famous who continuously say, “It’s not about me, it’s about you”, start meaning it. Frequently pimping your book, upcoming book, friend’s book, sharing links that just include you and boasting of your numbers (even though it’s “not about the numbers”, right?) just makes you look the exact opposite of what you’re saying. Enough already, please.
To the consultants that say you can’t measure the ROI of social media properly, quit BS’ing your clients and tell them the truth. Of course you can – if it can be deployed, it can be measured for ROI. And yes, that includes financially.
To the Twitter specialists who say what you should and shouldn’t tweet about – it’s 140 characters, for crying out loud. There are no rules for Twitter – get over it!

Okay, that’s better. Thanks for letting me unload a little, I appreciate it. How about you – anything you want to sound off about? Comments are yours.

Angry kitty
photo credit:?Tambako the Jaguar

We’re Watching

We’re watching.

We’re watching what you say; how you say it; and the conviction behind it. We’re taking in the words you use; the directions you’re giving; the recommendations you’re sharing. We’re taking you at face value and trusting what our ears hear and our eyes see.

Our eyes are our cameras and cameras never lie.

So next time you’re about to speak, remember – we’re watching.