Using Social Media Right – For You

Great article. It is definitely very important to be "you" on social media. Every person has their own goals for social media and reasons for investing their time into it. Some people may use SM strictly for business, and others may want to use just to socialize. I think its great for both and a mix is ideal.

Most importantly, though, you need to be personable, even if your SM goals are strictly to grow your business. Even in business, people like to see a little personality shine through from their business partners. I'd rather purchase a product from a person that has offered me great advice or that I identify with than from someone that is just pushing their product 100% of the time. SM is a parallel to REAL life. Be nice, be genuine, and good things will happen for you.

Hi Danny! I like the bigger message in your blog post ~ that holding onto your own ideas of right and wrong is fine, it even helps to define who you are in many ways. In no way should others be required to define themselves according to those terms though.

You've also highlighted that holding fast to your present beliefs and customs can halt the process of evolution itself. Evolution, change and growth all accelerate in new ideas of 'what is so'. Keeping an open mind to alternative and creative perspectives is beneficial.

What I like most about Chris Brogan is his ability to transfer seemingly unrelated information into useful practice in the social media realm. I also love how he quotes sources outside of the social media realm to underline a point he's trying to make.

This is a really current and pertinent topic for me, Danny.

I have until last week had my Twitter and LinkedIn accounts connected, so that my Twitter updates appeared on LinkedIn automatically. However, one of my LinkedIn connections - someone who represents my absolute target audience from a coaching point of view - told me that he was unlinking from me on LinkedIn because my Twitter updates were "spamming" his LinkedIn updates. He emailed me to tell me that he felt this was, in his opinion, not doing me any favours with my LinkedIn connections.

I've subsequently uncoupled these accounts. While I am very comfortable to be chatting with people on Twitter - yourself included about HootSuite or whatever - I have to remember that actually a lot of my clients and/or potential clients see social media (especially Twitter and Facebook) as being a more frivolous than business oriented "thing".

Danny:
Love the post! It is all about "what's right for you".

I have my FourSquare connected with both my Facebook and my Twitter. I don't check into places that often but have made new connections that way.

At the end of the day - we should use any form of social media in a way that feels congruent with ourselves and take what others say with a grain of salt.

My thoughts exactly, Danny. I love how this is at least Chris's second time complaining about this. God forbid we don't use these tools the way Chris Brogan does.

That's exactly what Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are - tools. Use them as you see fit for your needs. Don't listen to anybody telling you differently. They're probably trying to sell you a steaming pile of crap.

Thanks for the important reminder Danny!

Nobody might care what Chris had for breakfast (maybe cold pizza) but my Mom cares about what I had (Whole Grain Bagel with some fat free stuff that tasted like most fat free stuff).

I thought "social" media was supposed to be social?

I'm sure there are a lot of people that care what Warren Buffet had for breakfast.

Bravo, Danny. You're absolutely right.

I agree with Chris Brogan's main point (and think I left a comment on his original blog post) about the danger of irritating your followers. And many of the people who cross-post everything (especially Twitter to LinkedIn) aren't doing so strategically. (Or, if they have a strategy, it certainly escapes me.) If you're trying to reach me, but I tune you out or hide your feed, aren't you failing?

On the other hand, you're quite right that there are other perspectives (and sometimes strategic reasons for cross-posting or breaking other perceived "rules").

Plus, as you quite correctly point out, Moses hasn't yet appeared with those social media rules tablets.

Yes and No.

I would agree that its not up to you or I or Chris Brogan to dictate the rules of Social Media. I would also agree that we shouldn't be obsessed with embracing Social Media the right way.

As someone who is mindful of his personal brand, I am very interested in the things that might turn people off. I'm not sure if a stand offish "Don't follow me" is the best solution.

I wouldn't be so bold as to label that "the right or wrong way"

I'm a fan of Chris Brogan's and generally agree with his point of view. I just don't think his point was worthy of a second mention in his blog (within a month I believe).

Thank you for sharing your perspective!

Respectfully,
Paul Castain

Very good, Danny~! Smack on the money, once again.

I've been arguing (with myself, mainly) about this issue. Right or Wrong? What I've come to believe is that Social Media, in it's essence, is truly an intuitive resource. The folks who try to cram it into a box are not looking at the big picture. The picture that is in NO way 2 dimensional or linear.

Empirically, this Social stuff is all over the place, a huge fractal of new marketing reality. Our best choice to wrangle it is to remain flexible at all times...allow it to buck and charge in whatever direction it likes...and hang on with a firm hand.

Bravo, I am not a fan of the whole right vs. wrong way. The biggest problem is that like people who love National League Baseball, early adopters feel that their beloved tools are being bastardized.

While the geek community (me included) like using things for reason X, the tools will cease to exist if the site owners can't get mass appeal and generate revenue, they will close up shop.

People need to get over themselves as we're just not that important.

Danny, I just loved this post. People are all different, and so are businesses, and there is no one right model for everyone and every company. And if there really are some social media commandments, they needed to be tweeted, then linked to LinkedIn and Facebook... ;)

I disagree: when you use Twitter for your business, you should not tweet about how silly your cat is, or that you are having coffee at Starbucks. Well, you can, but don't expect a ton of faithful followers. People are looking for compelling, interesting rich content, that will add something of value. Not trivial nonsense stuff. You should think strategically about which accounts to link and which not to, if you are using them for different purposes. Using Twitter and Social Media is a strategic step in ones business and marketing goals, don't screw up. Know the rules. Know what works.

Everybody has a different need for how they use social media and no one way is right for everybody. Just as some don't like the way Kawasaki uses Twitter. But it's the right way for him and he's successful for him. Here's a post I wrote a bit ago. I'd love to hear what you think. http://janetfouts.com/wait-a-minute-did-guy-kawasaki-just-call-me-a-social-media-nazi/

Great article. It is definitely very important to be "you" on social media. Every person has their own goals for social media and reasons for investing their time into it. Some people may use SM strictly for business, and others may want to use just to socialize. I think its great for both and a mix is ideal.

Most importantly, though, you need to be personable, even if your SM goals are strictly to grow your business. Even in business, people like to see a little personality shine through from their business partners. I'd rather purchase a product from a person that has offered me great advice or that I identify with than from someone that is just pushing their product 100% of the time. SM is a parallel to REAL life. Be nice, be genuine, and good things will happen for you.

Hi Danny! I like the bigger message in your blog post ~ that holding onto your own ideas of right and wrong is fine, it even helps to define who you are in many ways. In no way should others be required to define themselves according to those terms though.

You've also highlighted that holding fast to your present beliefs and customs can halt the process of evolution itself. Evolution, change and growth all accelerate in new ideas of 'what is so'. Keeping an open mind to alternative and creative perspectives is beneficial.

What I like most about Chris Brogan is his ability to transfer seemingly unrelated information into useful practice in the social media realm. I also love how he quotes sources outside of the social media realm to underline a point he's trying to make.

I've actually been thinking a lot about how to get some of our clients activated on Twitter for the sole purpose of feeding to LinkedIn and increasing SEO. The Google spiders take a Twitter account into consideration when they crawl your site and, even though we all talk about Twitter being an engagement tool, if the company is in an industry that isn't yet on Twitter and their customers and prospects aren't there yet, what's the harm in using it for SEO?

Hi Danny
I don't have much to add to this particular conversation, except that as usual, I like the way you put things. There's something gentle and accepting and so not "know it all" about your sharing info that I really like. And of course I second that every individual should have a look at her/his own needs...
thanx Yael

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Danny. To me it really boils down to the basics. Know who you are, know where you want to go, and know your audience. If you are secure in those areas your own solution will be clear.

This is a really current and pertinent topic for me, Danny.

I have until last week had my Twitter and LinkedIn accounts connected, so that my Twitter updates appeared on LinkedIn automatically. However, one of my LinkedIn connections - someone who represents my absolute target audience from a coaching point of view - told me that he was unlinking from me on LinkedIn because my Twitter updates were "spamming" his LinkedIn updates. He emailed me to tell me that he felt this was, in his opinion, not doing me any favours with my LinkedIn connections.

I've subsequently uncoupled these accounts. While I am very comfortable to be chatting with people on Twitter - yourself included about HootSuite or whatever - I have to remember that actually a lot of my clients and/or potential clients see social media (especially Twitter and Facebook) as being a more frivolous than business oriented "thing".

Danny:
Love the post! It is all about "what's right for you".

I have my FourSquare connected with both my Facebook and my Twitter. I don't check into places that often but have made new connections that way.

At the end of the day - we should use any form of social media in a way that feels congruent with ourselves and take what others say with a grain of salt.

I agree with your sentiments, Danny. There really isn't a right and wrong way to use social media. It's what's right for me - and works - is the right way to use social media.

I do want to throw in a pinch of salt here, though. The right and wrong ways do not preclude common sense. Not using common sense is not an option, no matter how I am using social media.

For example, linking FourSquare and Gowalla with Twitter is great. But do I want to send out tweets every five minutes about my exact location - and what I am doing?

Perhaps I do want do, and that's great. But then, am I also sending the information to true "friends" or "strangers" and unknowingly helping them invade my privacy and/or security?

As I always like to day, social media is what we make of it. Take a step back; draw up a social media roadmap that works for you, environment, requirements, constraints included - and then play by it. We'll find it far more rewarding - and relevant when we do just that.

My thoughts exactly, Danny. I love how this is at least Chris's second time complaining about this. God forbid we don't use these tools the way Chris Brogan does.

That's exactly what Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are - tools. Use them as you see fit for your needs. Don't listen to anybody telling you differently. They're probably trying to sell you a steaming pile of crap.

Thanks for the important reminder Danny!

I am glad you have addressed this Danny because it is easy for people to hear the word of a well known social media consultant and take it as Gospel. (Thought that was fitting considering the religious references)

I'll admit, some things tee me off on social websites but that is just my opinion. I will borrow some of the words someone else wrote on Chris Brogan's site after he made a blog post about a particular ad... "This tells us how to approach advertising to Chris Brogan".

In other words, some people hate the constant stream of what you are eating for breakfast whilst others think it's great because it gives them ideas on what they can eat. Horses for courses.

On the topic of purely LinkedIn, since when did you need a suit to attend a social website? I know it has become a culture of business talk and that's great but if there is anything social media tools have taught us, there are people behind these computers.

Nobody might care what Chris had for breakfast (maybe cold pizza) but my Mom cares about what I had (Whole Grain Bagel with some fat free stuff that tasted like most fat free stuff).

I thought "social" media was supposed to be social?

I'm sure there are a lot of people that care what Warren Buffet had for breakfast.

I agree that there are no rules per se. There are vague and morphing expectations that surround various platforms, which can lead to a set of evolving "semi-best practices sometimes" - but one person's best practice is another's bad advice.

Bravo, Danny. You're absolutely right.

I agree with Chris Brogan's main point (and think I left a comment on his original blog post) about the danger of irritating your followers. And many of the people who cross-post everything (especially Twitter to LinkedIn) aren't doing so strategically. (Or, if they have a strategy, it certainly escapes me.) If you're trying to reach me, but I tune you out or hide your feed, aren't you failing?

On the other hand, you're quite right that there are other perspectives (and sometimes strategic reasons for cross-posting or breaking other perceived "rules").

Plus, as you quite correctly point out, Moses hasn't yet appeared with those social media rules tablets.

It's funny, when I saw Chris' post, I agreed. I have leaned toward seeing LinkedIn as a place where we need fewer updates, and that they need to be more professionally oriented.

Then you highlight a single, powerful example of how the opposite position benefited a company in a significant way.

I think it demonstrates how careful we must be in differentiating between "here's my advice" and "here's the right way."

Yes and No.

I would agree that its not up to you or I or Chris Brogan to dictate the rules of Social Media. I would also agree that we shouldn't be obsessed with embracing Social Media the right way.

As someone who is mindful of his personal brand, I am very interested in the things that might turn people off. I'm not sure if a stand offish "Don't follow me" is the best solution.

I wouldn't be so bold as to label that "the right or wrong way"

I'm a fan of Chris Brogan's and generally agree with his point of view. I just don't think his point was worthy of a second mention in his blog (within a month I believe).

Thank you for sharing your perspective!

Respectfully,
Paul Castain