susan murphy

Who I Learn from Every Single Day

Who inspires you to be a better person? Makes you want to read more, learn more, and put actionable ideas and plans into place? Who makes everything fall into place, and because of that increases your knowledge and awareness?

I’m incredibly fortunate that I’m part of a great community, both here at my blog and on the likes of Twitter and LinkedIn. Some great minds wander these social hallways and impart some immense wisdom every single day. Today, I want to share four of the folks that get my creative and business juices going, each and every day.

David Spinks is one of the smartest Gen Y guys around (and there are a few). He runs a blog over at davidspinks.com that continuously makes me ask questions – always a good thing. He has a knack of opening discussions like nobody’s business, like the one on The Social Media Bubble. David has his finger on the pulse of a lot of what’s making impact in the digital space – so much so that Scribnia took him on as their Community Manager over the summer. Yes, he’s that good.

Sonny Gill is a bit of a Jack of all trades (in a very good way), though his blog at sonnygill.com announces him as an online marketer. I’ve been connected with Sonny on Twitter for a while now, and had some really great thought-provoking conversations with him about marketing and social media (hey, two? of my passions!). Sonny’s also the co-founder of #CmtyChat on Twitter, discussing all things community (another passion!). Basically, this guy’s got smarts.

Susan Murphy is one of the most singularly brilliant and creative people I know, with drive that would make an F1 race car seem slow. Let’s see – she’s partner at Jester Creative; she teaches Video Production and Web Media at her college in Ottawa; she’s on the Board of Directors at SAW Video, promoting Ottawa’s media artists; she co-produced the 12for12k promo video. Oh, and she writes one of the more human social media blogs around over at SuzeMuse.ca. Simply put, Susan is doing what we sometimes just talk about.

Jim Connolly is a marketing guy from my neck of the woods over in the U.K. And a little bit more. Jim writes a consistently kick-ass blog over at jimsmarketingblog.com (does EXACTLY what it says on the tin) that strips down marketing for businesses of all sizes into easy-to-implement action plans and ladders to success. He’s also got a cool blog over at thetechnewsblog.com where he shares some of the lesser-known tech and business news. You want a sharp mind? Check Jim out.

There are many, many more people that I learn from daily and I’ll revisit this list frequently to hopefully introduce you to more great people.

I’m a firm believer that we never stop learning – once we think we know it all, we may as well give up the game because we’ll just be left behind. These folks, and others like them, help me stay in touch with the rest of the pack and for that I’m truly grateful.

How about you – who’s your learning post?

Lazy Sundays – SuzeMuse

According to figures, there are roughly 175,000 new blogs started every day. That?s a lot of reading to take in, even for the most avid blog reader.

So, to try and help just a little, I?m going to use Sundays as an opportunity to share a blogger and their blog with you. It won?t be restricted to social media, PR or marketing either. There are a lot more to read than just the bloggers from my neck of the woods.

I?ll also be focusing more on lesser-known blogs – after all, the big guys don?t really need another recommendation, do they? So, without further ado, I give you Lazy Sundays – I hope you enjoy.

SuzeMuse – create.share.be brilliant.

As the tagline itself, says, SuzeMuse is all? about creativity and connectivity. Written by Susan Murphy, co-owner of Jester Creative and one of the creative partners at 12for12k, this blog is one of my consistently favourite reads.

Instead of taking with the normal “Twitter is great and social media will save the business world” type of approach, SuzeMuse looks at the more human angle.

Perhaps this comes from Sue’s own background as a teacher, but to her the story and the people are more important than the tools.

She wants to know why things happen and what these results are for you – and she wants you to guide her in this quest. This thirst for information and her willingness to share with you makes SuzeMuse an almost quintessential example of “real” social media.

Not the faux expertise or the tunnel vision approach that many in the social media bubble adhere to. Instead, SuzeMuse opens everything up to “the little people” and for that, it’s more than a worthy addition to the Lazy Sunday series.

Check out SuzeMuse for yourself and if you like what you find, why don?t you take a minute to subscribe? I think you?ll enjoy.

Discussing Social Media with… Susan Murphy

A little while back, I sent out a request via Twitter asking if anyone would be interested in being interviewed for a discussion on social media. With the medium meaning so many different things to so many people, as well as how it can be used, I was interested to hear the views of the people I connect with.

My original plan was to run a ?round table? style of blog post – raise the questions and then have a mix of views as the responses. However, the answers I received back were all excellent, and showed why social media is the mix of interesting people and views that it is. So, I decided individual posts would be far more effective in an on-going series of interviews.

Sharing her views today is Susan Murphy, a partner at Jester Creative Inc., a new media production company based in Ottawa, Ontario (and a guest writer on this blog). My sincere thanks to Susan for taking the time to reply and share her views. To connect with Susan, or find out more about her, please visit her blog SuzeMuse.

If someone was to ask you for your definition of social media, what would it be?

I think that social media is one part of the realization of the original vision that Tim Berners-Lee had for the World Wide Web when he created it. Social media is worldwide network of human beings sharing information with one another. It?s people connecting, creating real relationships and opportunities out of those relationships for personal and professional growth.

What is your reason for using social media?

My real attachment to social media stems from my background in community access television. My involvement in community TV started when I was about 10 years old, working with my Dad at a local station he helped start in the small town where I grew up. It was no great surprise when my first job out of TV school was as a staff producer at a community station here in Ottawa.

What we were doing back then, in the 80?s and 90?s, was not unlike what?s going on in social media today. People giving of their own time to create great content. People reaching out and building communities and audiences around their creations.

My first taste of social media was in 2006, when on a total whim I attended Podcamp Toronto. There, I was fortunate to get to know Mark Blevis, Bob Goyetche, Chris Brogan and Christopher Penn. Their passion and commitment to sharing and to building communities really resonated with me. I learned more in 48 hours attending that one unconference than I had learned in the previous 8 years of being involved in web design. It opened my eyes wide and I haven?t looked back since.

Do you feel that social media is being used to its maximum effect?

If you think about how far we?ve come with social media in the past couple of years, we are definitely on the right track. There are still a lot of kinks to work out but I think that this community is by and far very solution oriented, and we?re working through the bugs and continuously moving forward.

As far as whether it?s being used to its maximum effect, I think that we are still living in a bubble when it comes to social media. I realize this every time I post something on my blog and my Mom (my biggest fan – she reads every post!) emails me wondering what a ?tweet? is, or an ?A lister?, or an ?unconference?. Getting over the insider terminology is a first step to bursting the bubble.

The next step is training and awareness, particularly at the community college level. The web designers and developers and PR and marketing people of tomorrow need to know what?s going on in here. And those of us inside the bubble have a responsibility to make sure they understand it.

What social media tools or applications do you use? Why these ones in particular?

All of them! Seriously, I am a power user of Twitter. I monitor my Twitter feed often and have met some of the most amazing people using that tool (including you!). I?ve gotten at least 3 new clients through Twitter and my followers have helped me out of a jam on more than one occasion. I also try to make a valuable contribution to the Twitterverse too, and I hope that I?m succeeding in that.

I am a moderate user of Facebook. I am one of the few who actually likes their new interface. I like that people can comment on status and other things right in the timeline. Makes it more conversational (and isn?t that what it?s all about?)

I am also on LinkedIn, though I don?t visit frequently enough and certainly don?t use the recommendation tools to their potential.

I use Google Reader and StumbleUpon extensively, and often share interesting blog posts that I come across through those tools.

My newest and most fascinating tool is BrightKite, which is a tool that allows you to poke in your current location then write notes or add photos. What I like about it is, it?s a step towards annotating the Web, which is a step towards the Semantic Web. It’s the next realization of what my hero, Tim Berners-Lee, was thinking when he created this whole WWW thing.

Where do you see the future of social media, both in general and for you?

As mentioned above, I see two things. First, I see the young people of today embracing this social Web and doing things with it that us 30 and 40-somethings would never dream of. I see that every day when I am in the classroom teaching these up and coming new media professionals.

Second, I see on the horizon the realization of the rest of Tim Berners-Lee?s vision of the Semantic Web ? a Web that is not just text on a screen, but a Web that is truly informed, that has the potential to impact every aspect of our lives. Imagine being able to bring enough people together and make enough real, human connections to end poverty. I think the Web of the future will be able to help us do that.

Are businesses effectively using social media? If not, what can they do to improve?

In our idealistic and bubble-sighted view, it would be great to say that businesses are effectively using social media. I think some businesses are being guided in the right direction, yes. But I think that in general, there are a lot of misconceptions about what social media is and how it really works. It?s a fundamental shift for businesses from the way they have traditionally done marketing and PR. It?s no longer about pushing ad copy down people?s throats. It?s about making real life, human-to-human connections. That scares a lot of people, because they think it will be a lot of work to reach out to every single one of their customers.

But that?s the beauty of social media. With one feeler in the right direction, you can touch many people at once. Businesses just need help and guidance to figure out how to overcome their apprehensions and take that step.

What do you feel are the best and worst features/uses of social media?

The best feature is absolutely the ability to connect with so many people. Not only have I met and become friends with and done business with people all over the world, I?ve met an outstanding community of people right here in my own city that I never would have otherwise gotten to know. It?s been life and career altering for me.

The worst feature is a tough one. I think, like any new medium, it causes panic. People start scrambling to the top, to try and make a fast buck, and end up stepping on a lot of toes on the way. As much as social media brings out the best in people, it sometimes brings out the worst in people too. It?s the nature of having such a wide-open place with so few restrictions.

However, what I?ve learned about this community is, the naysayers and jerks don?t last too long ? or at the very least they get put in their place.

You can find more ?Discussing Social Media with?? interviews here.

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You Know You’re NOT a Social Media Guru When…

This post comes from Susan Murphy. It’s a nice follow-on from my post about what makes a social media guru.

Like Danny, people who brag about the fact that they are social media ?experts? or ?gurus? often irk me. Calling yourself an expert or a guru does not automatically make you one.

After all, guru status is a lot to live up to. Imagine having to spend every day on the top of a mountain, prophesying about the awesome wonders of social media, keeping your believers continuously captivated, as they hang on your every word.

That’s a lot of pressure!

I thought it might be amusing (well, for me, anyway) to put together a list, in the style of “You Know You’re a Redneck When…” by Jeff Foxworthy. So, Danny has kindly provided me with a forum to do that (Thanks Danny!). Here goes…

You know you’re NOT a social media guru when…

Your Twitter profile description says “Social Media Expert Guy” but your profile picture is of you with no shirt on.

Your blog’s About page would win the Buzzword Bingo jackpot every time.

Your “Areas of Expertise” list is 3 pages long.

You regularly throw flaming Tweets out at anyone and everyone who “Qwits” you.

You think that the best way to “reach out” to your public is to send mass unsolicited emails about your new startup/podcast/e-book/insert-product-here.

Your signal to noise ratio is equivalent to trying to listen to a Norah Jones song on your iPod during a Limp Bizkit concert.

All of your online profiles talk about your expertise in social media but your blog is about the crazy antics of your 12 cats.

Your “10 Things You Must Do to Get Into Social Media” list mentions Facebook, Flickr and Twitter in at least 9 of the steps.

The reality is, those that call themselves gurus ultimately seem less credible in the eyes of others. This often becomes apparent once their followers start to ask them to do real work. Suddenly, they are unable to live up to the high expectations they’ve created. Like not being able to provide any real, tangible value. Or, not being able to back up their claims or expertise.

The point is, these people call themselves experts expecting that the title alone will make them experts. If what they are really after is that elusive “guru” status, they will probably never get it.

However, by engaging with people on a human level, building their audience by making genuine connections and, perhaps most importantly, being open to continuous learning and growth, they will more than likely have other people singing their praises before long (and with much less effort, I might add). In the end, it’s not about being the best at social media; it’s about just being genuinely involved in social media.

It’s when others start to call you an expert and a guru that you’ll know you’re doing something right.

* Susan Murphy is a partner at Jester Creative Inc, a new media production company based in Ottawa, Ontario. She blogs about social media and life in general at Suzemuse. Susan can be found on Twitter as @SuzeMuse.