Archives for January 2011

Have you ever watched the movie About A Boy, with Hugh Grant? It’s a really sweet little movie. In it, Hugh (you’ll never believe this) plays a kind of rotten fellow. He’s never had to work a day in his life because his father wrote a Christmas carol that took the world by storm. It made his father filthy rich. There was just one problem with this character’s father. He didn’t like the song that made him famous, and he spent the rest of his life trying to create something more famous and more fabulous. You certainly don’t get the feeling that Hugh Grant’s character got to know his father really well, and his father certainly never succeeded in being anything other than a one-hit wonder. One hit was just not enough.

You’re working too hard to not reap rewards

Let me tell you a secret people don’t often make crystal clear as you create your WordPress or Tumbler account. Blogging is a LOT of work. So much work. Your senses are always waiting for inspiration to strike you. You’re reading, you’re commenting, you’re writing and then scrapping and then wondering if you can undo the scrapping. You hit “publish” and bite your nails like your life depends on it. You stress. Are you promoting too much? Too little?

And for all of that, when you first start and for a long time after that, you get nothing from other people. Your blog sits there like your posts are in the storage room in the Louvre. Nobody sees it. Nobody points and says, “Wow.” It just sits there. You check all of your checklists. You’re doing everything right. No comments. No traffic. Then, just when you’re about to toss in the towel, you get your first real comment. You reply. Now you have a post with 2 comments on it and oh, that looks so much better than a goose egg.

So what do you do for your next post? You dissect that post with the 2 comments. “What did I do to get that person to say something? Was it the subject? Was it how I wrote it?”

Your mission doesn’t matter anymore. Your objectives? Pssh. You got a comment. On the next post, you want to get two.

Don’t Lose Your Head

This past week, I experienced something new. I wrote a post over at pushingsocial.com and it became the most popular post I’ve ever written. I started picking at it. “Why did this do so well? How can I replicate this?”

Then I remembered something.

I’m not here to get tweets and clicks and comments. That has nothing to do with why I pour all of this hard work into this blog.

I’m here because I want to help you get into this conundrum!

Success is a drug. Just say no.

Getting accolades and appreciation for hard work is always nice. Literally. I can’t think of a time when you would say, “Um, please don’t thank me.” Well, and really mean it. However, you need to have a conversation with yourself. Is that REALLY why you’re here?

For me, comments are a way of measuring how I’m doing. Traffic is a way for me to know if I’m helping more people or not. Tweets are another way I measure if my posts are resonating. But I’m here because I want to help you.

One day, you will have a post go bonkers on you. Yes you will. Believe me, if I can do it, anyone can. It’ll be a post that you may not expect. In fact, it may be a post that you almost didn’t write or that you almost threw away. People will go crazy over it, and you’ll sit back and say, “Huh. I could get used to this. How do I replicate this experience?”

Don’t fall into that trap. Be ready for it. Be ready to keep your head on your shoulders. Success is nice, but it is not the end. It’s a tool to do something else. Make that something else count.

Make sense?

Image by Wayne Roddy. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/mavnntc

At the end of The Order of the Phoenix, Lord Voldemort, the arch-villain, possesses our young hero, Harry Potter, trying to destroy once and for all Harry’s mind and spirit. For awhile there, it doesn’t look too good. Harry sees that his powers make him kind of similar to Lord Voldemort. Harry has been feeling like he has been losing control over himself anyway. He feels weak.

But then, suddenly, something happens. With some prompting from the wise head of Hogwarts, Dumbledore, Harry remembers all of the people in his life who are always there by his side. They are always ready to defend him. He realizes that Lord Voldemort is truly the weak one. “I feel sorry for you,” Harry says. “You don’t know love or friendship.”

There’s more than one Lord Voldemort

In the Social Media world, there are a lot of Lord Voldemorts. There are all kinds of people out there who will try to tear you down, and they have all sorts of ways to do it. They can write a blog post saying how dumb you are. They can snark back to you in a comments section. They can flame your blog site. They can harass you on Twitter. Sometimes, people do this because they perceive that you’re a threat, just as Voldemort knows that Harry is a threat to him. Sometimes people are just mean-spirited. If your confidence is low, or if your own personal Lord Voldemort is a powerful person (however you define that), it can be pretty easy to believe what they are saying. “You’re right. I’m doing this all wrong. I stink. I smell of alder-berries.”

If you have a community, you can’t be taken down

Much like Harry realizes that he has a power Voldemort does not, you can come to the realization that you have a secret weapon too. That secret weapon is your community.

Now, I’m not saying that every time someone says something mean to you you go crying to your Twitter stream. However, if you build your community the way Harry built his – out of friendships, similar interests, common goals, and overlapping objectives – you soon find that insults hurled at you by people who don’t know you lose their potency. You have people who will pull you back if you start believing all of that nonsense. You have people who will cheer you up or who will tell you that you’re taking things too seriously.

Start building now

In my last post, I suggested ten ways that you can start carving out your own community. I really believe (although you can feel free to debate) that having a community you can depend on is the true difference maker in the Social Media world. There is so much competition. It’s so easy to misunderstand people. There is so much anxiety and bad feeling that leaks into peoples’ blogs and twitter streams. You need to have people around who have your back – and you need to return the favor. This is the weapon that will destroy your fear of Voldemort and change it into pity. Nothing makes him madder.

Whadya think, Mr. Potter?

Is community the game changer in this space? If not, what is? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Are you a stats fiend? I’ve never been much of a fan of stats myself, but there is one stat I’ve been unable to avoid in the Social Media world lately. Statistically, as you get to know more people, your blog views, your blog comments, and reactions to your tweets increase. Crazy, right? But how do you get there? Maybe you’re looking at a Twitter stream that seems more like a trickle right now. Maybe you look at other people interacting, other groups, other communities, and you’re thinking, “I just can’t envision how I’m ever going to get there.” You can get there. Here are ten ways to make it happen.

1. On Twitter, make sure that for every 1 tweet that you send out of your own, there are around 12 responses or promotions of other people. This is a tip from Chris Brogan, and while you don’t need to be super strict about the number 12, the key is to make sure that the ratio is definitely slanted outwards rather than inwards. This proves that you want to engage, it shows that you will promote others, and it allows you to show your personality.

2. Speaking of personality, be yourself. My friend Jillian recently wrote a post comparing Social Media to a 24/7 networking luncheon. It’s a brilliant analogy! Be friendly, be warm, but be professional, too.

3. Try to talk to 1 new person every day. Especially when you get started, this is a great way to interact with new people and to begin building relationships. For every person you meet, you are opening doors to access new perspectives, new people, and new communities.

4. Look for people with similar interests. One of the best ways to do this is to find communities that exist around specific common interests. For example, if you love blogging, attending #blogchat is a no-brainer. If you’re a B2B marketer, B2BChat is a no-brainer. The footwork has been done for you. You already know you have something in common with everybody.

5. Comment on and tweet out peoples’ blog posts. Draw a connection between your presence in the blogosphere and your presence on Twitter. Leave a thoughtful comment on a post to let the blogger know you really read and thought about his or her post, then go over to Twitter and promote it. Double the love makes anyone happy.

6. Don’t just talk about business. Get to really know people. Look for hints that people leave about their lives. If someone mentions that a daughter just got accepted to Julliard, respond with a hearty congratulations. If you learn of a loss, offer your condolences. These are easy, human, common sense things to do, but they are difference-makers.

7. Answer questions. People often use Twitter as a way to find out important information -it’s a natural platform for crowdsourcing, after all. If you see someone asking a question and you know the answer or you know someone who could answer, make sure you tweet it out. It’s really nice when you can recommend someone else, because then you’re helping 2 people at once, plus anyone “listening” who might have had the same concern or question.

8. Ask questions. Just as many people use Twitter to find out information, many people enjoy answering questions for other people. Sure it serves their own good, but people are generally good hearted and like to help. If you don’t get an answer, that’s okay. You might get responses from other people who have the same question and you can create community that way.

9. Don’t be a lurker or a wall-flower. The temptation is there just to dip your toe in, but unfortunately, you can’t build a community that way. You have to get out there and show people who you are and why they should take time out of their busy days to talk to you or read your blogs. There are very few mind readers in the Social Media space, you’ll find out.

10. Respond to other comments you see on blogs that you visit. Often times, there will be an overlap between a person’s blog community and a person’s Twitter community. Get to know those people in one place and you can likely carry it over into another platform. This doesn’t mean to pick fights with other commenters, by the way. It just means that if you like a comment, say so instead of just clicking “like.” It means as much to the commenter as it does to the blogger, certainly.

Make sense?

Have you tried some of these steps but you just aren’t seeming to get any traction? Do you have questions about any of these ideas? Go ahead and let me know in the comments!

Image by tim & annette. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/mexikids

During a #blogchat chat not long ago (remember they happen on Sunday nights starting at 9 PM EST), someone tweeted out, “Your goal should not be comments.” Or something like that. It got retweeted a lot. I raised my hand, then I remembered no one could see me, so I tweeted instead. I said, “Well, comments are definitely a goal for me.”

Here’s why.

This blog is not intended to make me one red cent

I know. I know. Just put your head between your knees. Get a paper bag. It’ll pass. But this is still the truth. This blog, as a method of communication, is not monetized. Now there might come a time when I say, “Hey, I have this or that piece of work if you’re interested in buying it over there.” But you, my readers, will never be put into a system whereby I make money. It’s really not what this blog is for.

This blog is like public school without the cafeteria. It’s like a gathering in the park without the beautiful surroundings. Or…pick whatever analogy you see fit.

The purpose of this blog is to talk about things that are relevant to our clients (I’m always, first and foremost, an ambassador for my family’s agency) and to offer points of conversation (and hopefully help) for people immersed in Social Media.

Because I’m not monetizing this blog, I don’t need to stress over a lot of the things other people stress about. I LOVE the fact that you subscribed to my blog because it tells me you’re interested, and I consider it a gift. But I’m not going to send you a Margieclayman.com e-newsletter. I like looking at my Google Analytics (sometimes) but there’s no dollar sign looming over it.

So what good are comments?

I can’t really say that comments as a thing to count are what matter to me. Truly what matters to me is conversation. It’s just that on a blog site, conversation happens in the comment section. I care about comments not in terms of how many I get, but rather what people are saying. Do you have a completely different perspective to offer this community? Do you have tips and tricks that I didn’t cover that you’re willing to share? Do you have a question you hadn’t realized you had before reading my post?

Those kinds of comments are what I’m aiming for here.

What this means to you

“This is all very nice,” you may be saying, “but your point would be what?”

Oh, well…I’m getting there.

My point is that no objective for a blog is “unnecessary” or dumb or a waste of time if it’s yours. Now, if you’re trying to monetize and your primary concentration is on getting comments, then yes, you probably need to adjust your priorities. But if you are after something else, that’s okay too.

For me, comments mean I’m writing the kind of posts that you enjoy. It means I have a chance to learn from you and to help you if you need it. It means conversation between me and you and between you and other people who comment here.

I don’t feel the least bit stupid for saying so, either.

What’s your take on comments?

So what’s your perspective? Would you have retweeted that tweet about comments not being a good objective? Are comments your objective? Or do you have something else to add?

Hey – let’s talk. In the comments section!

Image by Mandy Julian. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/mjamanda

You know how when you learn a new word, that word suddenly seems to show up everywhere?

Apparently, the same thing happens in the Social Media world. Except in a slightly different way.

This week I am averaging one person a day telling me that I am covering already covered ground. I am treading where others have…trod? I am blogging where everyone has blogged before. I am about as far from the new frontier as you could get. If the new frontier is San Francisco, well, I’m in, say, Ohio.

Yep, I just keep taking ideas that are already out there. I slightly repackage them so they seem different, but in general, I am just another Social Media zombie who spews out things in the hopes that I could appear remotely interesting.

Is this post interesting so far? I sure hope so.

After all, everybody knows how to blog already. Everybody knows the pitfalls one encounters when starting on Twitter. I certainly knew exactly what to expect. I talked to myself for 3 months on a public social networking site because I find my own company so enjoyable. I certainly haven’t had any difficulty in establishing my voice. I haven’t sought help from anyone who had been doing this longer than me. And reaching out to people of like minds for support and guidance?

How plebeian.

It’s a shame that my blog is so cookie cutter. What’s really weird is that so many people are 100% like me. We talk the same way, we tweet the same way, we interact the same way, and thus, when I choose to cover the same kind of topic, it’s like, well, the same thing.

Yep, just a carbon copy over here.

So, if you have come here regularly expecting fresh, new, uncharted territory, I can only assume that you are the most misguided of the misguided. I’m talking about things you could learn about in lots of other places, dating back to the pioneer days, when people would tweet to their families from The Oregon Trail.

“Oxen just fell in deep creek. No paddle.”

In the meantime, though, while you look for those posts from 3-4 years ago that say exactly what I’m saying, I think I’ll just keep adding my buzzing blogging sound to the tsunami of sameness. Just in case you’re a glutton for punishment.

You are, aren’t you?

Image by S. Schleicher. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/schleicher

Are you thinking about starting a new blog? Are you real new as far as the blogosphere goes? Maybe you’re asking yourself if there’s a point. After all, look at how many people are blogging already. Or maybe you’re asking yourself if you have what it takes to be a blogger.

You have what it takes to be a blogger, and yes, you should jump in. Those aren’t the questions I’m talking about. However, having been in the blogosphere for nearly a year now, there are lots of questions I wish I would have asked myself before taking the plunge. In order to help you avoid jumping into an empty pool, or jumping from one pool to another, I’ve worked up 20 questions that have at various times caused me woe and worry. Do you have answers to these questions?

1. What platform am I going to use? There are a lot of reasons to use each platform, but it’s a good idea to pick one and grow with it. I started on Blogspot, and while I liked it over there it’s not easy for readers to share posts. I moved to WordPress.com and now I’m self-hosted using WordPress.org. That’s a lot of moving around. Do your research and ask questions. People will be honest with you about what platforms they recommend.

2. What is the point of my blog? This takes a lot of noodling, but it’s really important to ask and answer this question before you start plowing away. The point is different from your objective. The point is what your readers will take away.

3. What is your objective? You do need to know what you are aiming for, however. If you begin to blog without a clear objective in mind, everything will sway you hither and yon. Are you after monetization? Subscribers? Comments? All of the above?

4. What is your voice? This will likely evolve over time, but it’s a conversation that should start right away. Ask yourself sub-divisions of this question, such as “Will I swear on my blog site?” “Will I discuss politics?”

5. What is your plan? A lot of people suggest you launch your blog with 50 posts back-dated to a reasonable point in time. I’m not 100% convinced this will make or break your process, but it certainly reveals if you have 50 topics in your pocket to begin with. Creating an editorial calendar is a really good idea!

6. How often will you blog? It’s a very good idea to start early with expectations for yourself and your readers regarding how often you will blog. Start perhaps a bit lower than you think you’ll end up. That’s an easier transition than dropping off, which can send a negative message.

7. How are you going to promote? When I first started blogging, I posted a blog, tweeted it out once, and that was the end of that post. This was not the best methodology. Find your comfort zone, but don’t make it so comfortable that no one hears you.

8. What is your comment policy? Comments can become a very touchy subject with your readers, especially if you say something like “I will respond to every comment” and then you don’t. Be very clear in your own head what your policy on comments will be. That’s the only way you can make it clear to your readers.

9. How is your blog name going to relate to other Social Media channels? There are a lot of opinions about this. I’ve always been a strong believer in using the same name across all Social Media channels so that I can continue conversations with people from one platform to another. There’s probably not a wrong or right answer, but you should have your answer.

10. Is the blog your personal blog, your business blog, or both? This can be a very tricky question because so many of experience life always tinted with work. How can we divide the two? If you are blogging for or on behalf of a business, consider that your clients, co-workers, and competitors will have access to whatever you say.

11. How will you handle unpleasant comments? One always hopes that this will remain a hypothetical, but sometimes it does not. It’s important to have a plan in your head as to how you will deal with these scenarios so that you’re prepared.

12. How will you handle a huge amount of traffic? On the other side of the coin, it’s good to prepare for good news, too. What if a big name retweets your post, sending tons of traffic to your site? Are you set up to handle lots of traffic?

13. Will you want to Vlog? Video is fast becoming a hot tool in the blogosphere. Do you foresee a time when you will want to vlog on occasion? Make sure you are equipped to do so, and with relative ease!

14. How will you build your readership? Even the blogs with the highest amount of traffic started at 0 subscribers and 0 readers. How did they get to where they are? How do you want to bring people to your site? Will you use LinkedIn? Facebook? Twitter? All of the above? This is different from simply promoting – this is attracting people to your site for the long haul.

15. How will you know you’re succeeding? This is different from achieving your objective. This is a series of benchmarks that will let you know if you’re on the right track or not. It could be a mark in Google Analytics, a certain number of comments per week, or something else.

16. What will you do when you achieve your objective? Let’s say the best thing in the world happens and you meet your key objective, whether that’s getting a new business off the ground or making a certain amount of money. Are you going to just stop? What comes next in your blog’s story?

17. Will you blog on other peoples’ sites? Guest blogging is a hot topic these days. There are a lot of great reasons to do it. There are a lot of reasons not to as well. What are you thinking at this point?

18. Will you let other people blog on your site? After asking yourself all of these questions and puzzling over the answers, it’s easy to feel protective of your blog baby. Will you overcome that and share your new platform with other people?

19. How will you show your readers appreciation? This is a bit different from the comments question. But you will soon discover who your most loyal readers are. How will you show them your gratitude for their support? Will you mention them in posts now and then? Will you help promote their blogs? Remember, in Social Media, give to get, and give when you get.

20. What other questions do you have? I mentioned I’m just about a year into my blogging journey. I am finding new questions almost every day. Do I want to add Disqus to my site? Should I update my design? Is my subscription stuff working properly? Should I try new things for my subscribers? Never think that the learning process is done. There’s always something new.

What other questions would you add to the mix? Did any of these questions help you realize that you have questions? Let me know in the comments section. I’ll be more than happy to help!

Image by diego medrano. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/coscurro