A lot of people talk about Social Media as a revolution. It’s a revolution in how we market our companies. It’s a revolution in how we communicate. But like most revolutions, the revolutionaries may be getting kind of high on their success. That’s the bug that got good ole Napoleon. He kept becoming more and more sure of his success, declared himself Emperor, and ticked off most of the world.
I really don’t want Social Media participants to get to that point in the revolution, but I am worried that we are heading in that direction. So, I’ve come up with 47 ways to make sure we get back on track with a real revolution. Maybe a revolution in the revolution, if you like. Here they are.
1. Break up the cliques. If you are promoting the same 2-3 people in every blog post, you need to stretch it out
2. Talk to people who are new to Social Media. They can give you a whole new perspective.
3. Men, do not be sexist. Women are part of this revolution.
4. Women, do not be sexist. Against men or against other women. It accomplishes nothing.
5. Do not be a snob. You might be the smartest person in the room, but if you are, everyone knows it already.
6. Talk with, not at.
7. Do not tweet or blog about how drunk you got at the last 5 Social Media conferences. This makes us ALL look bad (kind of like Robespierre made all of the French revolutionaries look bad when he started cutting peoples’ heads off. Like, ew)
8. Think beyond expanding your ego and your pocket book. Those are important, but there’s more to being a revolutionary than that.
9. Learn how to disagree with a measure of civility. This should not be a lost art online.
10. Snark for snark’s sake only makes the revolution weak, and it makes you look bad. Why spend time trying to irritate people? We have a revolution going on!
11. Give credit where credit is due, even if you don’t like the person all that much.
12. Instead of lamenting a hole in the Social Media world, fill it.
13. Do not try to climb by wearing other people down. You can’t have a Social Media revolution if you’re alone at the top.
14. Check your negativity and cynicism at the door, at least sometimes. A constant wave of “blah” is like tear gas over a crowd. It bums everyone out and sucks the energy out of the room.
15. Rather than proclaiming what is dead and defunct, focus on what is new and exciting.
16. Think outside the box as much as possible.
17. Do not offer advice that you yourself do not follow.
18. Do not abandon your roots.
19. Don’t lose touch of what it was like when you were first entering into the fray. There are some new revolutionaries out there who are feeling like maybe they should just leave. We need them, though.
20. Be honest at all times. If you want me to attend your webinar because you want to pitch me your book, great. Tell me.
21. Do not betray those who are good to you. There’s no guarantee of endless reserves in that category, you know!
22. Accept criticism with grace rather than perceiving it as a personal attack. Often, criticisms are offered in an effort to help you out.
23. Offer criticism with grace, and if your intent is merely to tear someone down, let it smoke in your pipe for awhile.
24. Paint with small brushes. The big ones cover up a lot of important differentiating factors you need to know about.
25. Support others as much as possible. A revolution is only as strong as the weakest link.
26. Do not just type “sorry.” Act sorry when you should.
27. Do not proclaim yourself an expert, for it only shows that you are not of the revolution.
28. Personal vendettas are not needed here. If you have a problem with someone, that is your problem, and potentially theirs, but mostly just yours.
29. Repeat to yourself that every time you point the finger, there are 3 pointing back at you.
30. Do not judge your fellow revolutionaries until you have tweeted in their shoes.
31. Be a real human being. Say thank you. Offer comfort. Offer help. Offer smiles.
32. Do not talk about trustworthiness and credibility and authenticity. Be those things.
33. Lead by example.
34. Always keep your mind open to new perspectives, new ways of seeing things, and to being proven wrong.
35. Always keep your heart open to new people.
36. Applaud when there is success in this space. In a real revolution, one person’s success is everyone’s success.
37. Look out for the people standing next to you.
38. Be a giver in equal parts to being a receiver.
39. And to continue the Biblical theme – treat others as you want to be treated.
40. If you are frustrated with someone, let them know quietly and offline so that your pot of emotions doesn’t bubble over. We need you in your right mind for this thing.
41. We can’t all be generals. Some of us have to be soldiers – privates. And that’s okay.
42. We can’t all be heroes either, but we can have a hand in making the heroes who they are.
43. Concentrate on doing good – that is the real power of this revolution. Good can travel faster than ever before.
44. The more we march to the beat of our own drums, the more we’ll create a beautiful symphony.
45. The “different” should be considered with care.
46. Skepticism is acceptable so long as it’s not a blinder.
47. Remember that telling it like it is can be done gently. We don’t need to tear each other to pieces. There are plenty of non-revolutionaries around for that.
And what would your 48-50 be? How can we make this revolution a reality? How can we get back on track? I know it’s possible.
What do you think?
Image by Lize Rixt. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/lizerixt